Me, The Legendary Hero
by JHaywire
Summary: In Jak's p.o.v. Begins the day after Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy destroying Maia and Gol. The story goes deeper into their pasts and futures! Same story, w/ my own HUGE additions that make this story intense! Read&Review please
1. Chapter 1: Exhausting Aftermath

Okay, I am completely obsessed with the Jak and Daxter series of video games. I sometimes wish they were real, maybe our lives wouldn't be so boring. I also love Danny Phantom, and have two fanfics in his category. This is my first Jak 'n' Dax fanfic, so I hope you people like it. It's in first person, and takes place directly after they stopped Maia and Gol, from spreading dark eco all over the world (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, game 1). Hope you like it!

Here you go!

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_How can such a small Ottsel be so annoying?! _I thought to myself as Daxter and I sat on the roof of my uncle's hut, watching the sunset. _And he calls me annoyingly _silent_!_

I don't speak much, because when I was little, I lost my parents to a pool of Dark Eco. Normally, Dark Eco just changes you, alters you completely. But, for my parents, it was different. They never came out of the Dark Eco, and I was the one to witness it. I never said anything after that, and I was only five years old.

Who would have thought that me, a fifteen year old orphan, and my best friend (who used to be human, but the Dark Eco changed him into a Ottsel) Daxter would save the world? Well, it happened. Dax and I are heroes. Just yesterday, we destroyed Gol and Maia. Gol used to be a sage, like my best friend Keira's father, Samos. He and his sister fell into the eco and it took control of them. But, me and Daxter were able to stop them. My uncle is always exploring, so he isn't around much. So, we were alone.

And here we were, sitting on Uncle's roof, Daxter being so annoying as usual, as if it is an ordinary day.

Maybe now, it will just be an ordinary day...

Well, anyway, Daxter was just rambling on about how he never got changed back, but he didn't mind too much, and how we almost got killed, but it was so cool. He can never make up his mind, whether he liked our adventure, or hated it. I yawned, and Daxter stopped talking, but only for a fraction of a second.

"Hey, buddy, am I boring you with my ranting?" He asked, grabbing one of my eyelids that was drooping, and lifting it up. I hadn't got much sleep the night before. I nodded.

"That is incredibly insulting and for some reason, I think I'm bored with myself, too." He plopped down next to me.

"Finally, we can have some peace and-," He stopped short as we heard a loud scream, coming from Sentinel Beach.

"So much for peace." Daxter muttered. He jumped onto my shoulder, and I stood up.

"You know what this means, don't you?" He asked me. I jumped off the roof, and onto the grass.

"Looks like I need to be the hero again." He sighed." Being a hero is hard work!" I rolled my eyes. He was a really big help, but I mostly did all the work.

I ran to the edge of the village and jumped down from the ledge. I stopped to listen. We heard another scream.

"Ooh!" Daxter said. "Sounds like a damsel in distress!" I ran toward where these weird lurkers used to be, by this windmill on some high grass over the beach. I jumped up and saw the giant pelican snapping at a girl. It was the same pelican that lived on a nest in the ocean that took power cells from us.

"Don't worry, baby, we're coming!" He jumped off my shoulder and ran towards the pelican. I followed him, and got a better look at the girl.

She had these amazing cerulean blue eyes, and long, straight brown-blonde hair, that came past her shoulders, and had red coloring at the tips. She was about an inch shorter than me, and was wearing a red tank top that showed her stomach, tight black pants, and black sneakers. She had red full lips that went well with her red tips and tank top. I almost forgot why she was screaming.

"Hey, bird brain! Over here!" Daxter shouted. The pelican turned around, and Daxter's eyes became as round as dinner plates. I couldn't help but snicker. As soon as the pelican was detracted, I slowly tip toed over to the girl, and reached out my hand. She was frightened, I could tell, because her eyes were about as wide as Dax's. I dragged her behind the windmill and put a finger to my lips. She understood, and was silent.

I ran around to where the pelican was about to pounce, and as Daxter screamed, I attacked the pelican until it was unconscious. Daxter wiped sweat off his furry little head, and I threw the pelican (which was supposed to be heavy, but I guess I got stronger) into the ocean. I dusted off my hands and Daxter hugged my leg, not saying a word. I laughed.

Then, the girl came out from behind the windmill.

"Is-is he gone?" She stammered. I nodded. She ran over to me and Daxter and smiled.

"Thank you so much! I have never seen a pelican _that_ big before!" She exclaimed.

"Honey, if you think that was scary, wait until you meet Samos the green sage!" Daxter said. "And by the way, sweetheart, I am Daxter, hero of the world!" He proudly stated. Then he looked at me. "Oh yeah, and this is Jak." The girl looked at me and smiled.

"I'm Darla. Nice to meet you." She blushed. "So you guys are the one's who stopped my brother and sister."

I gasped. Maia and Gol were her _siblings_?!

"Wait a second, those eco-freaks were your family?!" Daxter asked.

"Sadly, yes. I can't believe this happened, I mean, they were so nice. Well, you know, before the Dark Eco thing took place..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked sad.

"I didn't know they had a sister!" Daxter said, confused.

"Well, when I was young, our parents died, and I was left in the care of my older siblings." She started. "I was only five. Who would have thought that I'd be an orphan now at the age of fifteen?" She sighed.

Huh. She was fifteen, too. _And_ her parents died. She was just like me, only more talkative. I wanted her to go on, so I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled at me again.

"What a coincidence! Jak here's parents died when he was five, too! He hasn't talked for ten years!" Daxter piped up. Darla looked at me.

"I thought you were a bit on the quiet side." She said softly. I nodded and dropped my hand from her shoulder and pointed to Samos's hut.

"Ah, yes. Samos, the green sage." She whispered. "Maia and Gol were pretty close to him."

We began to walk towards the hut, and Daxter was speaking at full speed about our entire adventure. I could tell she wasn't listening. I then saw a small tear crawl down her cheek. I held out my hand to stop her. Dax continued on his way. Darla looked at me, her eyes questioning.

I wiped the tear away with my thumb. She blushed and looked away.

"You're so understanding, Jak." She said quietly. "I wish there were more guys in the world like you."

I did understand her. Perfectly. And it looked like she understood me, too. I walked over to a bench near my uncle's hut and sat down. I pat the seat next to me, and Darla sat down. I gave her a look to let her know I was listening. I'm pretty good with talking with my eyes. I had to learn how to, anyway.

"Well," She started. She sniffed. "Now that my brother and sister are gone, I have absolutely no where to go. My home was destroyed in a lurker fight. Maia and Gol had a home, but it burned down, and I have no one to take care of me!" She broke down into more tears. I almost cried myself. Her story was sad, sadder than mine. At least I had my uncle! She has no family.

I scooted closer to her and put my arms around her. She leaned into my chest and sobbed. I was there for her, as long as she wanted me to be. I hadn't even known her for that long, and I was already probably closer to her than anybody else.

And for some reason, she seemed to be just as close to me.

I let her cry for a couple minutes. When her sobs turned to small gasps and a couple of sniffs, I lifted her chin, so she was looking at my face. I thought she should live with me and Dax. She'd be happy with us. I nodded towards my uncle's hut, my hand still lifting her chin. She glanced at the hut, then looked into my eyes.

"You want-sniff-me to stay with you?" She asked. I nodded and smiled. She smiled back, and threw her arms around my neck.

"Oh, Jak! You are the most wonderful person I have ever met." She squeezed me tightly. I hugged her back, my arms slightly around her waist. Hugging a girl was not really something I did very often. I mean, Keira is like a sister to me. I've known her forever, and she has a boyfriend in Rock Village, so I could care less. But hugging Darla was like...whoa.

I blushed as she pulled away. I stood up, pulling Darla with me, and went through the doorway into my uncle's hut. There were four beds in the back room, so we had a perfect amount of space. I showed her where the bathroom and other things were, and then we left the cabin. We walked up the hill to Samos's hut, and went through the doorway.

"Hey guys." Keira said, as she was squatted down to Daxter's level.

I waved and gestured to Darla. Keira nodded and stood up.

"Daxter told us everything, while you fell behind." She started. "By the way, I'm Keira." She walked over to shake Darla's hand. "Where do you think you're going to do, now that your brother and sister are gone?"

"Jak invited me to stay at his hut. I think I'll be okay here." She said. Keira nodded.

"Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me." She said. "My Dad went to go pick up something from Rock Village, so he'll be back later."

"Wait just a second!" Daxter said, walking to stand in front of me and Darla. "_You're_ living with_ us_?!" Darla laughed at Dax's excited face.

"Oh, this is going to be a pleasure, I can tell you right now!" He muttered, sounding mischievous. As he turned around to walk away, I kicked him hard on the butt. He spun around.

"Whoa, buddy!" He shouted. Darla and Keira laughed, and Keira brought Darla over to show her some machines.

"What was that for?" Daxter said softly, came over to stand on my feet. I pointed to Darla, then pointed to myself, glaring at Dax.

"Oh, I _see_." He said, speaking mischievously again. "Jak's got the hots for Darla!" He said a little louder. Keira and Darla turned around, and I knew by the look on Keira's face that I was as red as it could possibly get. This made me glare at the floor. I glanced up to see Darla blushing as well.

That might have been a good sign.

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"Well!" Keira said, later on. "You guys should get going back to your hut. It's dark out now." She handed Darla a suitcase of clothes, a new toothbrush, and other bathroom objects.

I nodded, and Daxter hopped onto my shoulder. I looked at Darla (and both our faces were still red) and she walked over to my side, carrying her stuff. We waved to Keira, and went back to Uncle's hut.

On our way, Daxter broke our awkward silence. "So, how did you get here, Darla?"

Darla shifted. "Well, my brother, sister and I lived on Misty Island. A little hut on an island off the coast of it."

Dax gasped. "That way, they could get as much Dark Eco as they could." Daxter stated.

"Basically." She said.

We reached Uncle's hut, and we made up the beds. Well, Darla and I made up the beds. Daxter just sat there. We then got all ready for bed.

"I'm going to bed. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Darla said. She smiled at me as she disappeared into the bedroom. When she was gone, Dax spoke.

"You've been pretty quiet for a while, Jak."He said. I looked at him, sitting on the floor now, with my eyebrow lifted. He shook his head.

"I mean quiet, as in not even gesturing or showing any emotions." Daxter said. I rolled my eyes, and slightly gestured towards the bedroom.

"Ah, I see." He said. "Still a bit embarrassed over the 'liking Darla' thing. You shouldn't have blurted your feelings out like that."

I glared at him. He knew it was his fault.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." He said. I flicked his ear. He smacked my hand out of the way.

"So, you gonna get her to be yours?" He asked, still rubbing his head. I thought for a moment.

I barely knew her. But, at the same time, I knew everything about her. She was so nice. She understood me. We were in the same kind of situations. We acted like we had known each other for a long time. _And _she was really pretty.

And when I heard her name. Darla. Like the sound of bells. Darla, Darla, Darla.

I sighed. Daxter awaited my answer, with big, round, eager eyes. It was like the suspense was killing him. I laughed, then nodded.

He smiled. "_This_ is going to be _fun_."

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When Dax and I were done goofing off, I went into the bedroom, and Daxter went to his big pillow on the floor. I took my shirt off, and climbed into bed. I put my hands behind my head.

_Darla..._ I thought to myself. I smiled, and looked over at her. She was smiling in her sleep.

I began to fall asleep, think of the adventure Dax and I had, thinking about lurkers and Gol and Maia, and lastly, thinking about Darla.

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So, how is it so far? I already have plans for the story. I'm even going to have the whole "Jak II" story line in it (probably in about 1 or 2 chapters). It's going to be pretty action-y, adventure-y, funny, and romantic! Please, read and review!

As I have always said...

On to the next!


	2. Chapter 2: Not So Good Morning

Chapter _2_ is here for _you_! Ha, I rhymed! This chapter's for my dip-sisters (not really my sisters, but my closest friends!), you rock!

I love, love, LOVE writing! This fanfic is going to get pretty twisted, so keep reading!

Don't forget to review, too! No flames, please.

Have fun! (Some surprises)

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"Jak! Jak, wake up! JAK!" I heard a voice shouting in my ear. I opened my eyes to see Daxter sitting on top of my chest, shaking me. I sat up, and Daxter tumbled to the floor.

"Jak, you have to come outside, quick!" He shouted. I lifted my eyebrow. He stood up, pacing. "No, no, really! You need to come now! No time to get dressed! You have to come, _see_!"

I threw the covers back, and jumped out of bed. I was still in a pair of sweat pants, and wearing no shirt, as Dax pulled me outside.

"Hurry _up_!" He whined. I was still trying to rub my eyes. I was then pulled to an abrupt stop, and Daxter let go of my arm. I tried to focus in front of me, and I heard a thud and a splash of water. I opened my eyes.

Daxter was already in the boat the fisherman gave us.

"Hop in, Jak! There's no time to waste!" He yelled to me. He had already started the motor. I grumbled and jumped in, and Daxter drove the boat. I stared at him funny.

"Misty Island." He muttered. "As much as I would love to see that place be sunk in the sea, we have to go get Darla." His voice cracked when he said "Darla".

I raised my eyebrows. What was Darla doing on Misty Island?

"Jak, you don't understand! Darla got up this morning got all showered, dressed and ready-," He stopped when I glared at him. "I heard, not saw, Jak, relax." I sighed, and waited for him to go on. "Well, anyways, she got all ready, took Keira's zoomer and went all the way to Misty Island!" I lifted an eyebrow. I think she would probably just want to see the place she last saw her brother and sister, so it wasn't a big deal to me.

Daxter saw the look on my face. "Jak! Don't you _get it_?! There are lurker rebels on the island still! Darla is on the island alone with freaking killer _lurkers_!"

I gasped. What on earth was she thinking?!

"I don't know what happened, buddy, but she looked sort of in a daze. She has these black circles under her eyes." He muttered. He made the boat go faster. Who new he cared so much about Darla?

I knew she was capable of fighting. Her brother and sister obviously taught her to defend herself. But, she only fought when she needed to. Like with the pelican incident, she thought she could just scare the thing away. No need to fight a harmless animal. Although, it was not so harmless...

I furred my brows together. If one of those lurkers lay one hand on her...

I couldn't even finish my thought, and we pulled into the dock of Misty Island.

"Jak, the island is huge. We'll never find her!" Daxter cried. We jumped off the boat, quickly trying to scope the side of the island with the most lurkers. Fighting our way to different areas, we found absolutely no sign of Darla.

We went to the other side of the island, the side with the most islands off the coast of it. These islands were distanced apart, but not far enough for someone to jump to. We stopped walking for a little break. That's when it hit me.

For all we knew, Darla could be dead right now!

I growled, quite loudly, and slammed my fist into a solid wall of rock. My fist put a hole through it, and I whipped my bloody hand out to slam it again. But, a pair of fuzzy paws caught my fist. I turned my head and glared.

Daxter was holding on to my fist, his eyes pleading. His look surprised me, and so did the look of my fist. It was really raw and broken, drenched in dark red liquid. I winced as the pain began to come. I stopped glaring, and Daxter let go of my hand. He dropped to the ground.

"See? You just need to calm down." He said. He bounded over to the nearest little island. Then, he jumped to it, narrowly missing what would have been a very painful fall to his death. He stood and looked at me.

"You coming, or what?" He shouted. I ran full speed towards the island and leapt onto it, lightly landing on my feet. We began our search.

I kept my eyes and ears opened, and Daxter screeched Darla's name. We went around, nearing the end of the island, when the one sense I wasn't prepared to use began to work.

"That smell..." Daxter whispered. He looked up at me, his face scrunching up. I nodded, beginning to cough, as the smell was so horrible.

"It sort of smells like..." He paused to sniff the air, and make another face, "It sort of smells like the time when we were eleven, and we went for a walk to Old Harrison's house and we found him..." His voice trailed off. I remembered that day.

We were just going for a walk, and we happened to be passing this old man, Harrison's, house. He was the oldest man in the village. We thought we smelt something foul, and went to check on him. He had...passed on, to put it in better words. He had been putting in more logs for his fire place and he sort of fell forward into the flames and... But, who knew that corpses would start smelling immediately after they died? Harrison had been dead for only fifteen minutes and he had already smelt dreadful...

I snapped back to reality. The air smelt so much like poor old Harrison, when he was dead. I gasped, and looked down at Dax.

He looked up at me, understanding what I was thinking.

"I know buddy. We've been searching for about an hour, now." He whispered. He hopped on my shoulder. I angrily jumped to another island, the fifth from the last. The smell was stronger now.

"You don't think she could be..." Daxter whispered again. But, he was cut off by what sounded like a lot of growling. My eyes widened, and I hopped over the fourth from the last island to te third. The smell was simply horrible. I could have buried my head in the ground right in that spot.

"Do you smell that?!" Daxter frantically said. "It smells like something burning! Worse than Harrison!" He jumped off my shoulder and sniffed the air. He turned to the direction of the nearest mainland section of Misty island.

"This way, Jak!" He scurried to the edge of the miniature island we were on, and leapt to the edge of the mainland. I quickly followed, jumping high and landing on my feet again. My hand was stinging badly now, but I didn't care at the moment.

We walked around a corner, and found what we had been looking for. But, we hadn't expected what was clearly in front of us.

In the center of what looked like where someone would have a bonfire, stood about a hundred lurkers, surrounding a tall wooden pole. You could smell the foul scent still, and you could tell that it was these smell-sticks the lurkers used for special rituals. That explained a lot. There was a rather large lurker, a shade of maroon. He stood out from the sea of purple lurkers, and he began to grunt. He was obviously speaking to them.

I looked at Dax, who was now cowering on my shoulder. He knew how to translate the lurker language, since Samos sort of forced him into it. Samos had said one day he would need it.

He was so right.

Daxter looked at me. "See the big guy standing there talking?" I nodded, and he continued.

"Well, he's sort of the chief. Basically he's saying that their king and queen-I'm assuming that was Maia and Gol- had betrayed them, by never returning." He paused to listen some more.

"He says that now there is a burning sensation, that it affecting their clan. Since Maia and Gol had "betrayed" them, the burning feeling grew inside of each and every lurker, that is standing there right now." He paused again, listening intently. Then he gasped.

"No..." He barely spoke above a whisper. I looked at him, eager to hear what he had just heard.

"The-the lurkers are going to..." He began to stutter, "I mean, the chief is telling the lurkers that today is a day that will go down in lurker history..." His voice trailed off as he stared sadly at the circle of lurkers. "Today is the day they give that burning feeling right back to Maia and Gol. Today, they give the burning feeling back to them through..." He gulped. "The death of their closest living family member they love most."

I gasped, and I knew what Dax meant.

Just as Daxter finished translating, A pair of lurkers walked on either side of a girl, who was oblivious to the fact that she was about to die.

Darla looked different. She was wearing another red and black outfit, that sort of looked like a very revealing bathing suit, but out of clothing material. It was a ravishing dress. She was wearing a black, shredded skort that flowed just above her knees. She was wearing the same black sneakers. Her hair was glistening in the daylight. Her top was the most bathing suit-like. A red, wide, strap was on one shoulder, next to a thinner strap (that was obviously something else I decided to ignore), and it was the same size as it draped like a ribbon on her body. Starting with the shoulder, the ribbon crossed and thickened over her chest, then thinned out again as it snaked from her chest around her back, wrapping one more time around, just above her bellybutton, then attaching itself to the top of the skirt part of her dress.

I was so stunned by this look, that I hadn't even noticed her being tied to the pole.

"JAK!" Daxter hissed in my ear. I realized my mouth had been open and I shut it immediately.

"What are we going to do?" He whispered.

I watched, wanting to see what the lurkers were planning on doing, and finding out what I was in for.

After Darla was strapped to the standing pole, the chief lurker clapped his hands twice. Darla shook her head, and I knew that some how, the lurkers had hypnotized her. She looked around frantically.

"W-what's going on?!" She said. Her bright blue eyes widened in fear, as she began to struggle in the tight knots. "Let me go!"

The lurkers just laughed. Then, a single, purple lurker walked into the circle, carrying a torch with a bright, warm flame. He brought it to where Darla was strapped.

I gasped, for I finally realized what they were going to do.

_They were going to burn her alive..._

"Oh..." Daxter moaned. He understood, too. He looked pale, for his normal orange-fur coloring.

The lurker bent down, and lit the wood at the bottom of the pole, and began the ritual.

That was definitely my cue.

I was enraged, and I jumped out from the corner to attack. Then, as if they knew I was there, the lurkers all turned in unison. I knew three problems I had with the situation.

Firstly, poor Darla was about to be burnt alive.

Secondly, Daxter and I were ambushed.

And finally, I knew for a fact that I had to defeat all the lurkers, put out the fire, and rescue Darla in a very, _very_ limited amount of time.

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So sorry about the cliffhanger. I, too, had a "limited amount of time" to finish the chapter, so I let it be a to be continued. Ah well.

I'll update as quickly as possible! Please read and review!

JaknDaxfreak811


	3. Chapter 3: Blood And New Things

Chapter three is here! I have to admit, I think it was a good thing I left that cliffhanger.

I am having so much fun with this story! All the plans are in order.

This is where things _heat_ up! Literally.

On to the next!

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I knew three problems I had with the situation.

Firstly, poor Darla was about to be burnt alive.

Secondly, Daxter and I were ambushed.

And finally, I knew for a fact that I had to defeat all the lurkers, put out the fire, and rescue Darla in a very, _very_ limited amount of time.

The lurkers began to close in on us. I stared back and forth between them and the burning pole Darla was tied to. Then, I felt little furry hands beating on my cold, bare chest.

"Jak....." Daxter said, his voice shaking. "We've gotta _move_!"

I snapped back to reality. Just as two lurkers were about to crash into me, I leaped high off the ground, and they slammed into each other. They collapsed on the ground, and I landed on them. A lurker behind me growled, and I back flipped, kicking it in the face. I spun around and punched it once in the gut, causing it to collapse and die like the others. Another lurker was charging at me. Daxter screamed and covered his eyes. I growled and I jumped onto its head. I gripped its skull with my thighs, twisted, and snapped its neck with a sickening crack.

I could hear Darla screaming. I looked at Daxter.

"Buddy, I got the rest of these lurkers," He said, "You just take care of the fire." We began to go our ways, but apparently stopped, because we thought the same thing. We turned to face each other. Daxter smiled slightly.

"Maybe_ you_ should take care of the lurkers, and _I'll_ put out the fire."

I nodded and we set off again.

Two lurkers, guarding the chief had bright, buzzing lightning rods, two in each of their beefy hands. I charged at them, jumping high, and sticking my leg out to kick one's face. But, he caught my leg, and touched the rod to my chest.

I screamed in pain, only seeing white and blue. I started to see more color, and saw Daxter rushing to untie Darla. I thought only of her, and in that moment painlessness, I used one of my free arms to slam my palm up to hit the lurkers nose, causing it to snap. Blood poured, and he grunted before he hit the floor dead. I held my chest for a millisecond, but then saw the other lurker. His lightning rod made me wince, as I remembered the quick pain, and I ran to him, kicking it out of his hands. It looked at its hands moronically, which gave me the chance push it backwards into the flames. I turned around, only to see the rest of the lurkers whimpering and running away.

Now, only the very large, _very _angry chief remained.

He stared at me for a moment, then roared so loudly, it could wake the dead. I covered my ears. He stopped roaring eventually, and his breathing was coming out in huffs.

_Geez, someone needs to learn to control their emotions! _I thought to myself. Then, I pounced.

I climbed onto the beasts shoulders. It roared more, trying to hit me with its fists. I was too fast, and he just continued to hit himself.

_If I could just get into the right position, right on his heart, he'll hit himself hard enough to kill himself. _I thought again.

I quickly climbed the chief until I was gripping his sash. I was still to high. I used the sash to pull my self in front of the beast's roared one last time, before I swung myself off of it, and before it slammed its hand onto it_s _chest.

I dropped to the ground, backing up fast. The chief staggered, then dropped hard onto the ground, shaking the island. To make sure it was dead, I tiptoed closer to it. It's ears were bleeding immensely, and its breathing was definitely dead.

I exhaled. Then, I heard a yelp.

"YEOWCH!" Daxter screeched. "That fire is _hot_!"

I ran over to Darla, who was still tied to the pole. The flames were getting higher, and were nearly hitting underside of her legs. She tried to hold her feet up, as she would rather have a small part of her burned rather than never walking again. Daxter screamed, and kept coming back and forth with more useless buckets of water. I knew I would have to untie Darla, while Dax tried to put out the fire. I ran around to the other side of the pole, by her hands, and jumped so my shoes were above Darla's head. I swung my legs around it, and dangledupside down, rushing to untie the very tight knots.

"Hurry, Jak!" Darla screamed. She coughed as smoke went up into her face. Then she screamed even louder. It turned to sobs and cries of agony.

I knew right then that the fire had began to burn her legs.

I furiously untied the last of the knots and pulled her over my shoulder with one arm. With my other arm, I gripped the pole by my legs, loosened the tightness in my thighs, and swung forward. I landed swiftly on my feet.

I pulled Darla off my shoulder to hold her bridal-style in my arms. Her eyelids were drooping, and I could see the blue in her eyes turning gray and rolling into the back of her head. I shook her a little bit, trying to get her to wake up, but it was no use. I ran to where Dax was staring, mouth agape, at the now empty pole. He then saw me come around.

"Oh." He said. He dropped the bucket and ran to followed me off the miniature island. We leapt and jumped, until we reached the fisherman's boat. I jumped in, sitting in the bow of the boat. Daxter jumped onto the motor, and started it. The boat shook slightly, and started drifting forward. I held Darla in my lap, waiting for her to wake up. But, her head just lolled back. I sighed and stared at my bad hand, the one I slammed the wall with. The blood was dry now, the cut already sealing itself.

We eventually docked. I stood up, wincing as I felt pain in my chest still, from the lightning rod. Daxter jumped and ran ahead of me.

"I'll get Keira. Samos isn't back yet, but she'll know what to do." He ran up the little bridge to the hut.

I got out of the boat, still carrying Darla in my arms. I sat cross-legged on the wooden dock, and I stared at her motionless form.

After about a half a minute, she began to stir.

"The fire.....it burns.....the pain." She muttered, her eyes still closed. I looked at her legs. She only had first degree burns, not too bad, but bad enough for there to be pain. Her dress was still intact. So, it wasn't like it was burning, and it was something we would have to get her out of.

I grazed my fingers across her cheek. She stirred some more, and then opened her eyes.

She looked me up and down. "Jak?" I nodded. She struggled to lift an eyebrow.

"You're not wearing a shirt."

I stared down at my chest for a moment, then looked at her face again. She was very weak, but she still had a smile on her face.

I had a tiny scorch mark on my chest from the lightening rod. She gently traced it with her first and second finger, her eyes filled with worry.

"Jak, what have you done to yourself?" She whispered. "You could have just let me die. Maybe you wouldn't have been in danger."

I gasped, and grabbed the two fingers on my chest. I squeezed them tightly, and I shook my head violently, showing her that there was no way I would let her die. She smiled at me.

"Why do you care so much, Jak?" I looked at her, puzzled with the question.

"What I mean by that is," She paused, for one of her burns must have been irritated. Then she continued. "Why do you care about me so much? I am the sister of Maia and Gol. Evil is in my blood."

I shook my head again.

She gazed into my eyes, confused. "Well, maybe evil isn't in my blood, but still. I don't understand _why_ you bother."

I thought for a moment. I had no practice with what I was about to do, but I wanted to do it anyway. I _needed_ to do it. If I didn't, Darla would never see how much I cared.

So, I met her gaze, leaned forward, and placed my mouth gently on hers.

It was different. Well, of _course_ it was different, I had never done it before. But, I don't think I would have felt the same....._passion_ I had been feeling at that moment if I was kissing anybody else. I was happy when she responded instantly. She slowly lifted her left arm to wrap it around my neck, and her right hand held my cheek. It was nice, our lips moved in sync, as if they were meant to be together. I know it sounds corny, but it is exactly how I felt at that moment.

If only that moment hadn't been rudely interrupted by the increasing sound of Daxter and Keira's voice.

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It's funny how the perfect moment can be ended so abruptly. Sorry if this was too romantic for you guys. But, I said there is a lot of action and romance involved, so you read it. You can't just buy half, you got to take the whole package! Haha. If you love the story, than that really means a lot to me. Please keep reading and reviewing! *No flames*

And wait to see what I have in store for you.....

I'll post soon.

JaknDaxfreak811


	4. Chapter 4: Something Dark

As most of you may have parents/guardians at home, my own personal "**Baron**" has just informed me that there will be no cursing allowed in my

fanfictions. So, basically, if the lines from the games aren't accurate, because I replace a curse word with a regular word (for example "heck"

instead of "hell"), you are now informed why.

So, without further adu.......

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"Jak!" Daxter shouted. "I have Keira!" He leaped down the stairs of the dock, and Keira was not far behind. He was close enough to see Darla and I pull away quickly.

"Whoa!" He shouted. He covered his eyes, bounding up a couple of the steps again. "You just call me when you're decent!" He shuddered.

Darla and I laughed. "We're good, Daxter." Darla coughed.

Daxter peeked out from behind his hands. "Alrighty then! Keira, they're down here!"

Keira bounded down the stairs, passed Daxter, and went straight to Darla.

"Daxter told me everything! So, where are the markings? I have to see!" She exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow, and Daxter came up next to Keira.

"Uh, what are you talking about? Do you mean her cuts and stuff?" He asked.

Keira shook her head. "No, the scars, the markings! You know....." She waved her hand, to show us that we should know what she meant. We shook our heads, and Darla arched her back as a surge of pain went through her.

"It is obvious she was pumped with Dark Eco before being tied to something." Keira studied Darla's rope-burned arm for a moment.

"Okay, first of all, she was tied to a stake. Second of all, WHAT?!" Daxter screeched. Darla winced.

Keira looked up at me. "Wasn't she unconscious when you found her?" I nodded.

"It's obvious that she wasn't hit over the head, or knocked out. Plus, it wouldn't mean anything, or be the same for the lurkers if they 'just hit' her. Don't you think they'd rather torture her some how?" She asked.

"Go Keira, thinking like a criminal!" Daxter said. Keira shook her head.

"Anyway, there should be a marking of some sort. You know, a place were they pumped it." She went back to searching Darla's body.

"But, you don't know for sure they pumped her. She could've fainted." Daxter stated.

"Nope." Keira said. "Here's my proof." She gestured at a violet marking on Darla's chest. It was in the shape of half a Yin-Yang sign. It had a pearl white spot on the wider side, and it was about two inches in size.

"Odd," Keira said. She pulled her goggled onto her head, and adjusted the vision. "The scar has the other half of it missing. It is obviously half of Yin-Yang, or Good-Evil. Also called, Dark-Light." She muttered to herself. She gently touched it with her middle finger. Darla shivered.

"Am I going to die?" She whispered. I brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, and Keira said, "Oh, no, definitely not. It actually doesn't seem to have taken effect or gone into your blood stream. I'm sure it won't change anything." She placed a reassuring hand on Darla's shoulder.

"I think I'm okay to walk, Jak." Darla said, looking up at me. I nodded, and carefully set Darla on her feet. She swayed slightly to the left, and Daxter pushed her legs a little to straighten her out.

She laughed. "Thanks, Dax. And thanks for saving me, too!" She slowly bent over to kiss Daxter's fuzzy head. His hair stood up, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Just doing my job." He said. I smirked and shook my head.

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".....and that's all I can remember." Darla finished telling us. She glanced at me, her face slightly pink. She hadn't mentioned our little "thing" back on the docks. Thankfully, neither did Daxter.

I sighed and looked out the hut's window. The sun was setting in the distance. I yawned, turning back to my friends at the table. Keira stood, her chair squeaking against the wooden floors.

"Well, I'd better keep working on repairing those precursor items, and that weird precursor automobile that goes with them. Father should be back with the four final pieces in about two more days. He thinks it is some sort of portal, that will show us what happened to the precursors." She sighed and shook her head. "Who knows where we'll end up? This could be a deadly experience....." Her voice trailed off, and she went out the door.

"What is she talking about, Daxter?" Darla asked, when Keira was out of earshot.

"Jak and I found these weird precursor artifacts after the big fight with your siblings. Big Green found the 'automobile' part of it, and now he thinks we'll be able to travel to another dimension, or something." Daxter hopped off the books on the stool he was sitting on. "Hey, if it's another dimension, maybe I'll have better luck with the babes there, since I have no luck here!" He winked at us, and waved, walking out the door.

Darla adjusted her shirt (we both had changed into better clothes after we returned), and stood. "Wanna go for a walk or something?" She asked. I smiled, nodded, and stood, too. We exited the hut, passing Keira, who was already covered in motor oil. I laughed, and took Darla's hand in mine. She looked down, then glanced away, smiling. I couldn't help but smiling myself.

We walked, all the way to Sentinel Beach, and climbed one of the weird lurker weaponry/bomb towers. I helped Darla climb her way to the rooftop and we sat, watching the sun sink into the sea.

"Do you really think that machine will be dangerous?" She asked suddenly, looking my way. I shook my head. "That's good. It looks like I'm coming with you." She smirked.

I put my arm around her and watched the water. All of a sudden, I felt her body go stiff and vibrate under my touch. I looked at her quickly, to see her blonde and red hair turning black. Her eyes were squeezed shut, as if she were in pain. I removed my arm from her and gripped her shoulders, shaking her slightly. The sky was completely blue-black, now, except for stars. I stared at her.

Her eyes opened, and were completely red.

Her skin turned paler than it already was, and her hands clenched into fists. I stood and slowly backed away, thinking that I should give her space. Whatever was happening to her couldn't possibly be good.

A hiss escaped her red lips as she stood, and her body was producing menacing muscles. A thick violet vein protruded slightly from her head. I backed up away from her too much, and I toppled down the steps. I landed in the sand hard. I groaned and looked up to see the evil looking Darla run towards me with lightning speed. Her breath was uneven as she hovered over me. I wiped the sand from my mouth, and stood facing her. I gripped her shoulders again, and swiftly kissed her ice-cold forehead. Her breathing stopped, and I still held her shoulders. She suddenly morphed back to her regular form, quicker than you could say, "Whoa.".

She held her head and looked up at me through her eyelashes.

"Jak," She whispered. I still held her shoulders tightly. "I didn't mean to.....I don't know what came over me." Tears brimmed her big blue eyes. I held my ground for a moment more, then pulled her into a tight hug. She sobbed into my shoulder. I gave her a minute, then brought her face to mine. I looked into her wet eyes, furring my brows.

She sniffed. "I'm sorry."

I kissed her.

It wasn't like the other kiss, our first kiss. There was more tension, more neediness in it. I let her wrap her self around me.

She finally pulled away, and spoke. "We should go." I nodded, and shifted so she was under my arm. She leaned tiredly against me, and we took our time walking back to the hut.

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Sorry I took so long!

How did you guys like it?! Surprised? Hmm.....I think that the "Dark-Darla" idea was pretty good, especially since jak will be getting those powers,

too.

I think I did okay on this one.

Please review, and no flames.

I'll update speedy quick, and things will start beginning to change. Like the trip to haven city, and Jak going to jail.....its all coming to you soon!

Keep reading!

JaknDaxfreak811


	5. Chapter 5: Reality

My apologies for the hold up, between mid-term exams and being grounded for a month.....

Anyway, this is a really exciting chapter, and it's almost time for the BIG ONE, which is probably coming in about two chapters, called Through The Rift Gate!

This is a nice long one, so here you go.

OH P.S.- the beginning of this chapter is a dream, and all dreams will be in third person and italicized.

So, without further adu.....

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.........._Jak felt the raised bump beneath the cloth. "Oh....." He whispered. His eyes became glazed over. "I can't believe.....I mean, how could I miss this? I'm so sorry....."_...........

............_"No need to wet your fur, chili peppers, because we're rolling with the Peacemaker!" _

............_"Ow." Daxter said. Jak lifted an eyebrow. "Sand in the eyes, Dax?" __The ottsel laughed and nodded._......

............._The power pulsated through him, and he saw purple_..........

............._"You cannot hide from me boy!"_...........

............._and the couple fell to their deaths into the sea of Dark eco_.........

"GAAAH!" I screamed and fell out of bed onto the floor. Daxter nearly flew into the air and yelled.

"What?! What happened? WHERE IS THE FIRE?!" He flailed around for a bit.

I put my head between my knees. _That was some dream, _I thought_, or, to put it right, nightmare!_ Daxter finally realized that he was safe and nothing was on fire. He scurried over to me.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay?" He pat my wrist with his paw. I shook my head, still holding it between my knees. I groaned. The dream puzzled me. There were familiar voices, like Daxter's and Darla's, but the rest seemed unrecognizable.

"I'm guessing you're the one who screamed like a girl and woke me up, huh?" Daxter asked, somewhat soothingly. I lifted my head, and he was smirking. I shrugged.

"Nightmare?"

I nodded, turning my head to see out the window. It was still dark.

"Wanna talk about it?"

My head spun around, and I stared at Dax incredulously.

He laughed. "I'm sorry, I just had to say it!" He looked over at where Darla was still sound asleep. He looked back at me and shook his head.

"Want a bed partner?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "I know its been long....."

The last time I had a nightmare was probably before the Maia and Gol incident, before my uncle left for his exhibition. It was probably storming out. I had gotten scared, and woken up Daxter, hoping maybe he could comfort me somehow. He had climbed into be with me and lay there until I was asleep. Most of the time he'd fall asleep before I did, but still. I don't know if it was one of those weird brotherly bonding things, but it always showed me that Dax loved me. Sort of a nice gesture, especially coming from him.

I chuckled and nodded. I stood up, as Daxter went and leapt onto the bed. I lay on my bed, not bothering to cover myself with blankets.

"Good night, Jak. Don't let the freaky cricket things with ten legs bite!" Daxter said. I laughed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

And I woke up, only seeing orange.

A sleeping Daxter was laying horizontally on my eyes. It scared me when I first opened them, but its not hard to recognize a fur ball like my best friend. Daxter's leg twitched, and I gently removed his fuzzy form from my eyes. I lay him down on my pillow, and he snuggled into the indent I had made with my head. I laughed quietly and shook my head.

After a shower and an orange for breakfast, I went over to Samos's hut. Maybe Keira would understand what had happened last night. I know I couldn't speak with my voice, but it was easy to tell a person something with simple gestures and using my eyes.

I knocked on the wooden door.

"Come on in!" I heard Keira shout. The door creaked as I opened it. Keira was bent over the weird automobile that was supposed to connect to the Precursor artifacts Samos was supposed to bring home soon.

She stood after a moment, sighed happily and twirled the wrench in her hand. She turned to face me.

"Hi, Jak. Where's your shadow?" Of course she meant Daxter. I laughed, closed my eyes and drooped my head, to show her where he was.

"Ah. Still asleep. So what's up?"

I became serious, not sure how to tell her about the previous night. I started with pointing out the window at Uncle's hut.

"Um, the hut?" Keira asked. I shook my head and pointed to the window of the hut.

"Daxter? No, wait! Uh.....oh! Darla?"

I nodded, trying to figure out another phrase. I pointed to my chest, the spot where Darla's mark was.

"Her symbol, the one the lurkers gave her. What about it?"

I pointed to the poster of the night sky, that was hung over Samos's man-eating plant.

"Okay, I know this one!" Keira bit her lip. "Um, dark?" I shook my head. "Night?" I nodded. Keira scratched her green-blue hair covered head. "So, something happened, last night, that had to do with Darla's marking." I nodded excitedly.

_Okay now for the hard part, _I thought to myself.

I growled and arched my back, opening and closing my hands and shaking violently. I made a couple of frightening sounds, then stood up and nodded.

Keira stared at me, with wide eyes.

"Sorry," She said, "Didn't catch that."

I walked over to the wooden door frame and hit my head five times against it. I inhaled and exhaled deeply. I was about to repeat my performance, when I noticed a figure walking up the docks, headed for the doorway I was standing in. I looked out and saw it was Darla with Daxter sitting on her boot. He looked like he was enjoying the ride. Darla, on the other hand, didn't look too bad, other than the dark circles under her eyes.

I put up a finger to tell Keira to wait. Then I sprinted out the door and ran towards Darla and Daxter. They smiled as I approached.

"Hey, Jak." Darla said. I grabbed her arm, tugging lightly and pointed at Samos's hut.

"Okay, I'm going." She ran the rest of the way with me, Daxter yelling and cursing as he was nearly flying off the boot.

"Whoa!" He shouted.

Darla giggled and I opened the door. Keira was leaning against the table, waiting for us to arrive. I pointed at her, then to Darla. Daxter got off Darla's boot, and dizzily walked over to Keira. He blew a kiss to her before he hit the ground with a thud. He laughed.

Keira rolled her eyes. Then, she watched Darla warily. "Um, I don't suppose _you _know what happened last night. Jak's been trying to tell me, but his talent of charades is not the same as what it used to be." She smirked at the last part. Darla looked up at me, and I pat her shoulder, to let her know it was alright to tell Keira.

"I don't exactly know what happened. One minute, I was sitting with Jak at Sentinel Beach, and the next thing I know, every fiber in my body becomes a live wire, and I feel like static electricity." She shook her head. "I thought someone was talking to me, too. A deep voice telling me that I couldn't escape the power that was burning inside of me. I let it convince me that I was a killer."

Keira furred her brows. "This must be because of the marking on your chest. The Dark Eco was sent into your body, probably into your blood stream, and was sent to your heart. That explains the electricity. I don't think I can explain the voices though....." She trailed off.

Then, I got an idea. I ran over to a stool by the Precursor automobile, and grabbed a pen and piece of paper. I drew a picture of the "evil" Darla. What I could remember, at least. I drew the electric bolts surrounding Darla. I drew the black claws, horns, and black eyes that used to be blue. I shaded in the scary black hair, which had previously been a nice sandy color. When I was done, I shuddered, realizing maybe I went into too much detail. I had drawn it perfectly, too.

I handed the paper to Keira. She gasped and looked at me. "What is this, Jak?!"

Daxter leapt up from the ground and snatched the paper out of her hands. He climbed onto the table, and squinted. Then his eyes widened.

"Jak?" He asked warily. I looked at him and nodded towards Darla, who had a sort of spaced look on her face. I knew Daxter could understand me.

Daxter looked up at Keira. "This is what happened on Sentinel Beach. It looks like Darla turned into a......a scary thing."

Keira looked over at Darla. "Tell me what you were feeling before the static, Darla."

Darla came out of her trance and took a step forward. "Well, I was thinking about my brother and sister, and how they sort of, well, _betrayed_ me....."

"So you were angry?" Keira asked.

Darla nodded. "That was right before the voice. Then I nearly tore Jak to pieces. _That_ I remember."

Keira thought for a moment. "What happened that made you turn into.....human form?"

Darla flushed, her face tinted red a bit, which caused me to look away and smirk.

"Well," She began, "Jak sort of calmed me down.....and I changed back."

We were all silent for a long time.

Then, Keira gasped and snapped her fingers, causing the rest of us to jump.

"I've got it!" She said. "It seems to me that whenever you're angry, maybe even upset, you change into this.....dark figure. Then, you need some self control to change back. But it still doesn't explain the voices."

"Yeesh!" Daxter piped up, plopping onto the table. "That Dark Eco is evil! It can probably _speak_ to Darla. Nothing is impossible! Just look at _me_!" He gripped his tail for a moment, then shuddered.

"I suppose." Keira said. Then she walked towards Darla. "Not that I want you to kill us all, but I think you should try going dark on us again."

"What?!" Darla took a step away from her. "I couldn't! What if I permanently stay that way this time?!"

Keira shook her head. "If it was supposed to be permanent, none of us would be here right now."

I backed up to the wall and leaned against it. This was way too much for a simple, fifteen year old kid to handle.

"Still....." Darla shifted. "I'm scared to. It wasn't fun the first time! And I don't know anything that will make me angry, besides Maia and Gol. Now that I think of it, after that episode I had last night, I'm not so angry anymore."

"Hmm....." Keira had a regretful look on her face for a moment. I became a little nervous about what was going to happen next. I slid across the wall, walked around the table, and sat on it next to Daxter. He looked up at me, frowning.

Keira stepped towards Darla one last time. She looked her square in the eye. "We'll just have to force the dark out of you some how. Come on! Bring that beast back!" She walked backwards towards me and Daxter.

"I can't....." Darla whispered, looking away. But something told me she wasn't talking to us.....

"Do it, Darla! Come on! Are you scared of a girly purple liquid taking over your body?!" Keira was provoking her. This was not going to end well.

Darla stared at Keira incredulously. "I'm not scared! I've done things in my life that you couldn't possibly brave!" Keira's plan was working. I didn't know wether that was fortunate or unfortunate. Daxter shifted closer to me and hid under my arm.

"Oh yeah? You seem like your pretty scared now!" Keira smirked, a stuck-up look on her normally friendly face.

Darla shivered and closed her eyes. She was muttering something, and I could only catch a few things here or there. Things like, "I know", "but I can't", and "it does feel good".

Then, it came.

A bright purple electrical current rippled around Darla's form. Keira gasped and sat on the table with us. Darla growled, and her hair was graying. It turned jet black the same time her pupils shaded in her entire eyes. Her skin turned paler, with a slight, blue-violet tint. The violent horns that were tiny the night before had protruded from her head now, at least two inches long. She stopped shaking and vibrating, and looked over at us. She seemed to be staring at Keira. She licked her lips.

"Darla, don't let it control you!" Keira's voice was shaking, but she was obviously trying to hide her fear.

Darla inched closer, moving so swiftly, she almost looked like she was floating.

"Darla?" Keira said, her voice cracking. Darla narrowed her eyes, and stood up straight. A hiss erupted from her mouth.

That's when Daxter did something unusual.

"Darla! I don't like you this way! It scares me!" His eyes widened into a sort of sad look, and he stuck out his bottom lip. I couldn't believe he wasn't cowering in a corner! "Change back!"

Darla's black eyebrow lifted. Then, she gasped, shuddered, and returned to her human form extremely fast. There was still a thin, purple, electrical current surrounding her, but other than that, she was fine. But, at the same time, she was different, almost not okay. She looked worn, and all the fun, red tips that were dyed in her hair faded into her natural sandy haired color. The dark circles under her eyes were even more dark than before.

"I.....I'm so sorry." She said, her voice hoarse.

"No.....no!" Keira spoke, her eyes slightly lit with excitement. "That was impressive! Only your second time changing, and you changed back without struggle."

Darla stared at her feet, and played with her black suspenders. "I let you provoke me. And I knew that was what you were doing, too. The Eco told me to kill you, even thought I wasn't even angry at all. But, I wanted to listen." She sighed, shakily. "Sorry."

Keira dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "You did fantastic. And so did you, Dax." She kissed the top of his fuzzy head. His eyes lit up. If he was still human, he would be red as a tomato.

"I've been telling Daddy about everything, in great detail, I should add, that's been going on these past couple of days. He'll want to hear about this." She nodded to us, and went out the front door. The clouds rolled in. A storm was coming.

Daxter hopped off the table. "I don't care how scary you were. That was _hot_!" He winked, and Darla blushed. Daxter went out the front door too. "See you at the hut!" He shouted. I could hear him whistling as he walked down the wooden ramps.

Darla and I were alone now.

"Jak?" She stepped toward me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and shrugged. I wasn't scared at all. Maybe I was scared for her, but for some reason, I felt I knew this was coming all along.....

She let out a whoosh of breath, then came over and sat on the table next to me. I looked at her, and nodded towards the front door.

"Yeah, we should get going." She agreed, and we both hopped off the table. "Big storm, you think?"

I nodded. We stood in silence for a minute. Darla looked like she was thinking very hard, like she was having an argument with herself. It could have been the Eco, and she was trying to make the voice go away.

_Maybe I should give her a minute to be alone_, I thought to myself. I brushed the back of my hand across her cheek, and she twitched slightly, as she was snapped out of her thoughts. She smiled. I then walked out the door leaving Darla to her thoughts.

But, I hadn't walked for too long, and I hadn't gone that far, because I heard a yelp coming from the house. And I was almost positive it wasn't the man-eating plant.

I spun around and ran back up the ramp to Samos's house. Keira must've seen me from wherever she was, because she came out of no where, running after me. We reached the door and slammed it open.

Darla was on the floor whimpering and holding her head. We rushed to her side, falling to our knees. Keira grabbed her hands and took them in her own, tightly gripping them.

"What is it?" She asked, softly. "The voice?"

Darla shook her head violently. "Jak....." Her eyes widened, and her eyes were the same black as when she was her dark-self. But, other than that, she was all human. I put a hand on her back, letting her know I was there.

"Jak....." She said again, "Oh, poor, poor Jak....."

What was she talking about? I was right here! I pat her back gently.

"Never.....never knew.....I have to tell....." She gasped again. "They.....weren't who.....Jak thought they were!" She winced, her eyes shutting tightly. Then she was still.

"D-Darla?" Keira asked, giving her hands a squeeze. Darla's eyes snapped open. She looked around.

"I-I saw....." She stuttered.

"You saw.....?" Keira urged her to go on.

"Th-that's just it! I _saw_!" She must've just realized I was there, because she jumped when she turned her head and saw me. "Oh, Jak! I'm so sorry! I....." She whipped her hands from Keira's and threw her arms around me, and I held her.

"What did you see, Darla?" Keira asked. "Why are you apologizing?"

Darla unwound her arms from me and placed her hands on her lap. "Jak, you have to know. The people who you thought were your mother and father.....the one's who fell into the Dark Eco, right?"

How could she have known? I never told her exactly what happened. I nodded, not sure of what to expect.

"They.....they weren't your real mother and father."

I gasped. How could they _not_ be?! I spent the first five years of my life with them! Was my whole life just one big lie?!

"Jak, those people were just friends of your parents, I think." Darla whispered. "Either that, or they stole you away from your real mother and father. For some reason, your real parents weren't able to take care of you....." Her voice trailed off. I shook my head, unable to consume what was happening.

Daxter walked in right at the end of Darla's statement. "Okay, so how does Darla know this?!" He ran over and stood next to Keira.

"She says she saw it....." Keira said, closing her eyes.

"I think.....I think it was a vision." Darla whispered. "I felt the Dark Eco, but not in a bad way. It felt like I needed to open my eyes, even though they were already open....."

Keira's eyes snapped open and she stared at Darla. "You've been given a gift, Darla. The gift of seeing the future! No doubt it's from the Eco....."

I sighed to myself. Why did this have to happen to me? I guess I'd never meet my real mother or father.....

"You mean like a psychic?" Daxter asked, walking closer to Darla ans patting her knee reassuringly. "Are you sure these Dark Eco powers are a _gift_?"

"Yes, and no." Keira's lip twitched. "The Dark Eco that was injected into Darla was most definitely not a gift. But, the powers she has and will consume, now and in the future, are probably gifts sent to help balance out her Dark powers."

Keira was very good at this solving thing, probably because her father is a Sage. _Oh, Big Green, _I thought, _where are you in our time of need?_

And, as if it were right on cue, we heard a loud crash from outside the hut. Keira jumped to her feet, and I stood, pulling Darla up with me. Her face was blank for half a second, then she said, "Samos has arrived."

We all stared at her in disbelief.

"Excuse me? How did you know that?" Keira crossed her arms, and headed for the door. We began to follow.

Darla tapped her eyes. "I opened my eyes. Sort of weird, how fast these powers are moving."

"Probably because gallons of Dark Eco were pumped into you." Keira stated, walking through the front door. "I'm very surprised you lived through that experience!"

"JAK! DAXTER! GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS DOWN HERE AND HELP ME CARRY THIS STUFF!" We all jumped, as we heard Samos Hagai's loud voice ring throughout Sandover Village.

The four of us ran down the ramps, towards the docks, and stopped in front of a large sail boat. A short, elderly, green man with a small bird on his head stood with his back facing us, staring at a load of large, bronze colored items. Precursor artifacts.

"Daddy!" Keira tied the boat to the docked and hopped on. "You got all of my messages?"

Samos turned around and kissed his daughter's cheek. "I got all of your messages." He looked around Keira, at squinted at Dax, Darla, and me. There was a threatening flash of lightning in the distance.

Keira stepped out of the way, and guided Samos off the boat. He stood with his hands on his hips, and stared down at Daxter.

"Well, well, well!" He said. "Looks like you've shrunk some more, rat boy!"

Daxter stuck his tongue out at the old man. The little bird on Samos's log hat flittered down and pecked Daxter twice on the head, before flying towards the hut.

Daxter rubbed his head. "Missed you, too, Wrinkles." He muttered.

Samos stepped up to me and Darla. He lifted an eyebrow. "Are you the infamous Darla Acheron?"

Darla began to nod, shyly, but then frowned and shook her head. "Not anymore, I'm not. Just Darla, now."

"I see....." Samos smirked and pat her shoulder. "Welcome to the family then, Darla."

Darla thanked him, then Samos turned to me. "Jak," He started, "I couldn't help but over hear the conversation going on in the house....."

_How does he do that?! He can hear from miles away, without breaking a sweat! _I thought to myself.

"My greatest apologies, young one."

I nodded, and glanced away. Samos made a "hmm" sound then walked towards the hut.

"Why don't you boys get started on unloading the artifacts? Bring them to the upper deck." Samos stated. Keira followed him up the ramp. "Darla, come in with Keira and I for some tea. I think we should talk."

Darla looked at me, kissed my cheek, and followed Keira and Samos up the hill.

I felt my face grow warm, and then claws digging into my calf. I winced, and looked down to see Daxter climbing up my leg onto my shoulder.

He rested his arm on my head. "Hmm. Let's start with the huge arched looking piece over there." He pointed at the pile. There were _four_ slightly arched bronze artifacts. I looked up at Daxter and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Good idea. We'll get all four big pieces, and continue from there." He said. He hopped off my shoulder and leapt onto the boat. He placed his hands on the underside of one of the enormous artifacts. "Hey! These artifacts aren't going to lift themselves, you know!"

I laughed, and went onto the boat. I picked up one side of the artifact. It was extremely heavy. I groaned and it clattered to the boat deck.

"Hold it horizontally, and I'll support!" Daxter said. I went to pick up the artifact long-ways. It was easier, and I leaned it on my chest, with my back arched. Daxter leapt from the deck and held onto one side of the bronze item. He dangled from it, and I walked out of the boat, as rain began to drizzle from the sky. Then, we started our task of building the unknown Precursor artifact.

JDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJD

Ha! I bet you all know what's coming up next! Exciting, exciting! Finally, I can write my fiction using the dialogue and scenes from the Jak and Daxter series!

I'll update really soon! Please keep reading, and review!!!!!

JaknDaxfreak811


	6. Chapter 6: A Great Life

The next chapter awaits you! This is the chapter before the rift gate, so keep reading!

I am so excited! Thanks to all who have been reading! This is also the longest chapter I've ever written, but also the most entertaining.

On to the next!

JDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJD

"JAK!" Daxter yelled as I threw a bottle of water at him. I laughed until my stomach hurt.

Daxter opened the bottle I threw, and shot the water at me out of its spout. It nailed me in the face.

"Ha! Got ya!" He rolled on the wooden deck, laughing hysterically. I wiped the water from my eyes and lunged at the orange ball of trouble. He screamed and rolled out of the way, and I landed hard on my hands and knees, laughing.

I looked up and saw Daxter with a wrench pointed at me.

"Back! Back, I say!" He said, feigning a fierce smirk, "I'm not afraid to use this!"

I held up my hands in defeat, and Daxter tossed the wrench onto the deck. He plopped down next to me.

"Man, what a beautiful day!" He sighed, then frowned. "It's too bad the old man is making us work on this artifact. It seems like we're wasting our time." He gazed at the Forbidden Jungle, off in the distance. The sun was beginning to set. I nodded in agreement, and stared at the forest with him. Then, I noticed the farmer's hut, looking quite empty, and yakows grazing in the grass. An idea sprouted into my head.

I tapped Daxter's head and pointed toward the vacant home. Daxter lifted an eyebrow, then smirked.

"I love the way you think, Jakie-boy!" He got to his feet and punched the air, completing a 360 turn in mid-air. "My favorite hobby; YAKOW TIPPING!"

I laughed. Yakow tipping always cheered us up, and it was especially fun when the farmer wasn't there! But, we hadn't gone since Daxter turned into an ottsel, and we had to save the world.....

"We've got to be quiet on our way there!" Daxter whispered, looking mischievous, "We don't want Samos to find out we're leaving!"

I nodded, and we tiptoed down the dock ramps, and went into the village center. It wasn't like we were leaving our work behind and quitting. We only had a little bit more work to do. Barely anything.

We went down a couple of hills, until we reached a more beachy section of Sandover. We saw the yakows not too far away in their small fenced area.

"Oh man, this is gonna be great!" Daxter rubbed his hands together. We silently crept past the farmer's hut, and entered the grazing spot as if we belonged there. Then, laughing to himself, Daxter sprinted up to a yakow, and smacked its back thigh. The yakow made a weird sound, and slammed its hoof into Daxter. Daxter flew about ten feet, and I leapt onto the ground to catch him. He landed perfectly in my arms.

"Nice save, buddy." Daxter slid out of my arms and brushed himself off. "It's not as easy as it used to be, what with me only being two feet tall and all...."

I chuckled and flicked his ear. Then, I walked up to another yakow, and shoved its side with all of my strength. The yakow whinnied and toppled to its side easily. I dusted off my hands, and heard Daxter laughing extremely hard.

"That was the greatest tip I have ever seen in my entire life!" He was holding his head in his hands, laughing and shaking violently. His reaction made me start cracking up, and I shook my head laughing hard, too.

Then, we heard a scream.

Our laughter came to an abrupt stop. We waited in silence for a moment. Daxter's ear perked up, and I tilted my head. We heard some more screaming, a fit of laughter, then a loud splash.

Daxter sighed with relief. "Probably just the girls." He smiled, looking quite suspicious.

I lifted an eyebrow and crossed my arms. I knew where his thoughts were headed.....

"I wonder if the babes are in their suits....." He chuckled to himself. "I think we should go check to see if they're.....safe, don't you?"

I thought for a moment. It was risky business, spying on the girls.....

I nodded, smirking.

"Sweet....." Daxter spun around and observed the extremely tall islands that were across from the farm. "Let's head over there, and climb to the top. We'll have a _perfect_ view!" He headed over to some small piles of dirt jutting out of the island that we had always used as stairs. I followed close behind, trying to be as silent as my best friend. I wasn't as good, though, because of my size.....

Daxter reached up from the sand and grabbed onto the ledge of the first pile. He clawed at the dirt, but dropped and landed in the sand. He looked back at me.

"Um, a little help.....?"

I walked over and picked him up, jumping onto the ledge at the same time. Daxter scrambled onto my shoulder, and rested his back against my head. I climbed all the way to the top, being as silent as possible. Daxter jumped from my shoulder to the landing above. I crawled after him, and went into an army-crawl position, so the girls wouldn't see me.

On another island not far from ours, two girls were bathing in the sun on the grass covered top of the landing. One girl, I recognized as Keira, stood.

"Woo-wee!" Daxter whistled and growled. "I had no idea Keira owned a bikini!"

Keira went over to the edge of the landing.

"Darla, watch this move!" She said. She went into a one-handed handstand and hopped over to the edge. There was a loud splash. Darla had sit up, and was now laughing at Keira's move. She scooted over to the edge where Keira had jumped off.

"Nice one! How did you come up with that?" She asked. I could barely hear her though. I hadn't even noticed Daxter's hand waving in front of my face. All I could see was that beautiful girl on the landing. I hadn't even realized I had zoned out. Probably because Darla looked.....dazzling.

Maybe it was the way her ivory skin glowed in the setting sun. Or maybe the way her long, straight, sandy-colored hair was blowing in strands in the gentle breeze. Or, could it have been the way that midnight-blue bikini looked amazing against her pale skin? Whatever it was, I simply couldn't take my eyes off her. I also wanted to go join her.

I began absentmindedly moving out of my army-crawl pose and onto my knees. I felt a furry hand on my arm.

"Jak!" Daxter hissed. "I know you want to go swim with the ladies, but you can _not_ let them see you!"

I pouted, and went back into my previous position. I heard a huff coming from Daxter. I glanced up, and he looked frustrated.

"Believe me, Jak," He whispered, "I want to join them just as badly as you do, but you know that if you go, it's going to be your funeral." He paused, then smiled. "Let's just enjoy the view, and if we can't take it any longer, we'll go in."

I nodded. Sounded like a good plan to me. I returned my attention back to the island. Keira was climbing back up the island, and Darla moved over to help her up. Keira shook out her wet, aqua hair and giggled.

"That was impressive," Darla began "But I bet you'll get a kick out of this one!"

Darla got to her feet and ran over to the edge. She faced Keira, saluted, then jumped into the air. She flipped twice, then disappeared behind the island. We heard a splash.

"Holy yakows, Darla!" Keira went over to the small ledges that she had climbed up earlier. Darla soon became visible, as she climbed to the top. She went onto the landing, then sat with Keira in the middle of the island, leaning back and bathing once more in the sun.

Her hair wasn't even wet.

"Wicked move." Daxter whispered. "Jak, you sure got yourself a good one!"

I chuckled silently, trying to hear what the girls were about to say.

"Your hair!" Keira gently grazed her hand over Darla's hair. "It's not wet! How?"

Darla shrugged, a couple droplets of water gliding down her arms. "I didn't go under when I landed. The tide hasn't come in, so it isn't too deep."

Keira nodded. "So, where did you learn that trick?"

Darla laughed at this question. "I saw myself doing it, so I decided to try."

"You and your psychic abilities." Keira shook her head. Then, her face became serious. "You know, when you have a vision, you really shouldn't tell anyone, nor do anything to change that vision."

"Why not?" Darla asked.

Keira lay down on the grass. "Well, if you tell someone a vision that could be used as an advantage during an event, then I think that would be okay. For example, if an evil bird was about to eat me, and you saw it coming, telling me wouldn't effect any important fates. But, if something extremely important was about to happen, you should really keep it to yourself, until it occurs. For another example, if I were to get kidnaped by a lurker, and turned into one, that would be my destiny." She shuddered for a moment, then returned to her serious state. "Destiny is a big thing. You see, if you saw someone's destiny, then that is what's meant to happen. If you changed that, it could really mess up time."

Darla nodded, understanding. "I understand. This is a huge responsibility, and I know that now."

Keira closed her eyes. "Enough of that scary stuff. Let's just have fun, since we'll be doing something extremely historical tomorrow."

When Darla didn't reply, Keira opened her eyes. Darla's face was expressionless, and she was staring at nothing in particular. I saw Dax look at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, D?" Keira asked, sitting up abruptly. She lay a hand on Darla's wet shoulder.

Darla snapped out of her trance, looking very tired and sad all of a sudden.

"What did you see?" Keira asked.

Darla shook her head, rubbing her eyes. She spoke so quietly, I could barley hear her.

"I can't tell you. I wish I could....."

Keira nodded. "It's alright. I'm sure whatever it is, it can be easily fixed."

Darla spontaneously began to sob.

"Hey, hey! None of that!" Keira pat Darla's back. "It isn't as bad as it seems."

Darla stopped sobbing, and wiped her eyes. "I guess it isn't. I mean, it's our destiny."

I saw Darla take a deep breath, and I could've sworn I saw her mouth form the words, "But, I don't exactly like where our destinies are headed." She smiled weakly, then began talking with Keira about something else.

I looked up at Dax. He looked down at me, frowning.

"You saw that, too?" He whispered. I nodded, knowing that there was a worried look on my face. Daxter and I shrugged in unison, dismissing the subject. We weren't going to let a short moment of sadness ruin our little spying party.

We waited a little longer on our island. The girls' giggling and looking gorgeous started to make Dax and I want to go and join them even more than before.

"Hey, um, Jak?" He asked softly. He was now lounging on my back. "Do you think we can go play with the babes, now?"

I almost threw him off of me as I jumped to my knees. I nearly ripped my shirt off, and stripped down to my pants. Still crouched down, I put my clothes in a pile, and grinned at Daxter.

He laughed, and climbed onto my shoulder. "Time for some fun!"

I backed down our island, then wadded into the water. I quietly swam over to the girls' island, and climbed onto the first edge. Soon enough, we were one ledge from the top. I paused to take a breath. I looked at Daxter for confirmation.

"This is the plan," He mouthed, "I'm going to shout something, then you're going to leap onto the ledge, got it?"

I nodded, grinning once again.

Daxter gripped onto my hair with one hand, and shouted. "Heads up!"

I swung myself over to the top, and we heard screaming. I landed hard on my feet.

"Hello, ladies." Daxter growled. He jumped off my shoulder.

The girls had been crouched into a fighting position when we had leapt to the top. Now, they were somewhat relaxed, and standing with their hands on their hips.

"How did you find us?" Keira asked, narrowing her eyes at me and Daxter.

Before Dax opened his mouth, Darla began to speak.

"I'm not sure if this is going to change their destinies," She began, "but I'll tell you anyway! They've been spying on us the entire time!"

"Curse your powers!" Daxter said.

"Oh, it is _definitely_ going to change _his _destiny!" Keira pointed accusingly at Daxter.

Daxter whined and pointed at me. "It was his idea! Take him! You know you girls _love_ me!" He scurried over to Darla and cuddled against her chest. He began to purr, and Darla cradled him in her arms, like a baby. He nuzzled into her neck.

"Bet you wish you were me, eh Jakie?" He asked tauntingly. I crossed my arms and lifted an eyebrow. Daxter wiggled his own back at me. Darla laughed, and began prying the orange rat out of her arms.

"In you dreams, fur ball." She pulled him off and set him on the ground. He lay on his back, baking in the sun. He shuddered and smirked. Darla looked disgusted.

"Little pervert." Keira muttered. She and Darla sat down beside Daxter.

I took a step closer to the group and plopped down by my friends. We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, you guys didn't hear anything we said about _you_, did you?" Keira asked us. Daxter's eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"You talked about us? When was that?" He asked. He looked at me. "That must have been when you were eyeing up Darla."

I felt my face get extremely hot. I grinned and looked over at Darla, who was blushing slightly, too.

"Oh lovely." Keira said, "For all we know, they could have seen us getting _into_ our bathing suits!"

Daxter's eyes lit up, and he smiled dreamily. "One could only imagine....."

I smacked the back of his head, still blushing from his previous comment. His goofy smile only reminded me of it, and made me blush tomato red once again.

"So, you were watching us?" Darla asked. Daxter and I nodded our heads.

"Did you see my handstand jump, then?" Keira asked.

"That's around the time I lost Jak, as he went into _dreamland_!" Daxter replied. It was like a game, a game of him trying to torment me! And he was winning.....

Darla smirked and shifted uncomfortably. I moved over next to her, and touched her hand.

Daxter rolled his eyes. "Wow, me and my big mouth."

Keira laughed and swept Daxter into her arms. She set him in her lap and smiled.

We sat in silence again for an even longer amount of time. It began to get too quiet for my taste, which was a weird thought coming from someone who didn't talk at all. So, I stood up, and threw myself over the edge of the island.

I felt like I was flying. My arms flailed, and I hit the water hard. The water felt cool and refreshing, and I opened my eyes. The aqua-blue color swirled around me, and small minnows swam passed my waist. I began to run out of air, so I surfaced.

"Nice one, Jak!" Keira shouted from above me. I looked up and saw my three friends staring down at me. I laughed, swam in a backstroke to where the ledges were, and climbed back to the top. I rolled onto the green grass covered landing. My wet hair was plastered to my head, and I shook it out like a crocadog. The drops of water sprayed the girls and Daxter.

"Hey! I'm trying to get a nice tan!" Daxter said, rubbing his fur, "I think I could get my fur to become a nice, darker shade of orange, don't you?"

We laughed at the drama in his voice. Then, I decided to have some more fun. I noticed the sparkling water was getting deeper, which would make my plan much less dangerous.

I walked over to Darla and scooped her up bridal style.

"Hey!" She squealed. I kissed her head, and went to the edge of the island.

"Don't you dare, Jak!" She warned. I just laughed, and stepped over the edge. Darla screamed as we fell, but the sound was cut short from us landing in the water. I let go of her body and opened my eyes.

I was sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor, and above me I saw Darla take a breath of air, and come back down. I rested my hands on my bare stomach, and lay down on the sandy bottom. Darla swam down to me, bubbles escaping her mouth. She looked like she was saying something, but I couldn't see what.

She lay on her stomach next to me, smiling. Her small smirk was just the most amazing thing I could've seen that day, because it was real. It took my breath away, even though I wasn't breathing in the first place. That reminded me to go up for more air. I held up a finger to let Darla know I'd be back. I went up, inhaled deeply, and went back down. She was laying on her back, like I had been doing, and her eyes were closed. I swam to her, and floated directly above her. She opened her eyes, probably "seeing" that I was coming back.

She reached up to me, and I sank lower. I wrapped my arms around her torso and held her close. Her arms snaked around my neck, and she put her head to my chest. It was one of those nice moments that really shouldn't end, but unfortunately, it had to. Darla pulled her head back to look at me, and she pointed up. Still holding her tightly, I put my feet on the ocean floor, and pushed up. We shot up towards the surface.

We both gasped at we came into contact with the air. Darla put her head on my chest again, as we floated in the water. Then, I heard her laugh.

I tilted my head so I could see her face. Darla moved her head back, and shook it.

"Nothing." She said, smiling. I lifted my eyebrows and looked her in the eyes.

She nodded, as if giving in to my gaze. "I saw something, but I shouldn't tell you, because it could alter time." She looked saddened, but only for half of a second. She looked down, blushing a little bit, and traced my collarbone.

I thought about how I loved the way holding her felt, and how I loved watching her. I loved the way she understood me, even when I didn't say anything at all. I loved the way she laughed, smiled, walked, talked, and even breathed. I loved the way she looked at things, and how she would try hard to make sure everyone was happy. Most of all, I loved her. Who she was and what she was. I didn't care about anything anymore, only that she was truly everything I could want and love. I wanted her to know that.

So, I tried to tell her.

I placed a wet hand under her chin, and lifted her face so she could look at me. She studied my face as I tried to figure out a way to tell her. I opened my mouth as if to say something, but I closed it, knowing that I probably didn't even _have_ a voice. So, I just stared into her cerulean blue eyes using my own. I thought about all of the reasons I loved her, and I knew that somehow, some magical force would tell her for me.

After about a minute, Darla began to smile. A tear (or perhaps it was just the ocean water) ran down her cheek. She put her hands on the side of my face.

"I knew you were going to say that." She whispered. She pulled my face to hers and kissed me. I smiled against her lips, for I was very happy about her reaction. Her hands went to my wet hair, and she pulled me tighter to her body. I laughed, and trailed my lips from hers to her cheek. Her hands dropped to my shoulders, and I held the sides of her face. I closed my eyes, moving my lips up and down her cheeks.

"Jak, I love you, too. But, you probably already knew that." She murmured into my ear.

"Aw, touching!" We heard Daxter say. We laughed, and I looked up. Daxter was leaning over the edge, batting his eyelashes and holding the sides of his face. Keira was sort of looking over the side, frowning at Daxter and crossing her arms.

"It would be more touching if you would shut up." Keira whispered loud enough for all four of us to hear. I laughed again, and felt two wet hands holding the sides of my face, and making me look back down. Darla kissed me again. Then, while leaning her forehead against mine, gazing into my eyes like a hypnotist , she yelled to Daxter, "I have foreseen your future, Dax! And, it's looking quite wet!"

That's when Daxter shouted, "No, Keira!", and I heard him topple over the edge. He screamed, and landed in the water.

We all laughed. I laughed hardest, which caused me to let go of Darla, and sink into the water. I opened my eyes, and saw Daxter flailing around in the water, looking at me with wide eyes. I could barley hear his bubbly voice shout, "JAK!"

I swam over to him. He wrapped his arms around my neck, looking angry. I chuckled, water starting to go into my lungs. I shot up to the surface.

"That-huff-was _not_ funny!" Daxter shouted, shaking, his arms still latched around my neck.

I looked up, seeing Darla just appear over the edge. I could hear Keira still laughing, but I couldn't see her.

"That was _so_ funny, Dax!" I heard her say. Daxter grumbled, and I swam to the ledges. Climbing to the top, I choked a little on some of the water that was still inside of me. Or, so I thought. It was actually Dax, strangling me.

I reached the top, shaking off my hair again, and grabbed at Daxter. He dropped to the ground, looking beat. He laughed.

"Yeah, it was alright." He muttered, smiling up at me. I shook my head, returning the smile. That was my best friend for you. Crazy little piece of annoyance, with the heart and soul of a loving brother.

"Smooth move by the way, Jak." Darla said from across the island. I looked at her questioningly.

"Yeah, you heard her!" Keira said, laying on her stomach. Daxter crawled over to her, and leaned against her back cautiously. Keira looked at him, narrowing her eyes, but let him stay there. Daxter smiled, looking triumphant.

I crossed my arms, still looking confused.

"I knew you performed that little stunt to make me tell you that I loved you!" She lay down on her back, putting her arms behind her head.

I made a growling sort of sound and lunged at her. She opened her eyes, squealing with fright. I straddled her, held her arms down, and kissed her neck repeatedly.

"No, Jak, NO!" She giggled. I could hear Daxter and Keira laughing along.

"You need to surrender, D!" Keira shouted.

Darla giggled more. "I'll never surrender to you, Jak! I was born to never give up!" I moved my lips to the opposite side of her neck. It seemed more effective.

"Okay! Okay! I surrender!" I kissed her neck one more time, then lifted my head. I was staring into her eyes, which were filled with tears from laughing so hard. I leaned my head against hers.

"What do you plan to do with me, great hero?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Do you plan on taking me away, and locking me in a cage, where I will spend the rest of my days?"

I had to admit, the idea was very appealing to me. I shrugged my shoulders, then got off of her. I sat cross-legged next to her, and she stayed in her lounged position.

I looked up at the sky. It was getting to be a light purple, rather than the previous pink it had been.

"JAK! DAXTER! GET BACK HERE AND FINISH THIS ARTIFACT!"

Samos's voice startled us. We all jumped in unison, and laughed nervously.

"Th-they're coming, Daddy!" Keira shouted. Then, she looked at me. "You guys should get going....."

I nodded, standing up. Daxter stretched, yawned and slowly got to his feet.

"Would you ladies care to escort Jak and I back to the hut?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Keira rolled her eyes. "Sure, but no funny business!" She and Darla stood up, and we headed down the ledges to the sand. When we ended up near the bottom of the island Daxter and I were hiding on earlier, I remembered that my clothes were up there. I stopped abruptly and poked Daxter in the head. When he looked up, I pointed at the landing.

"Oh, yeah, your clothes." He muttered. "We'll meet you back at the hut, okay?"

I nodded, waved to the girls, then climbed the island. My clothes were in a heap behind a bush. I scooped them up, then leapt off the island. I saw my friends walking up the dock, and decided to walk slow, and enjoy the setting sun. Everything had a certain glow and sparkle to it. Even the moist leaves on the nearby trees sparkled in the fading sunlight. It was a pretty cool sight. I hadn't been able to watch any of the Sandover nature lately, what with all the crazy things happening in my life. And, who knows? I might never see it again, after tomorrow. Anything could happen. I'd like to come back, though. I love Sandover Village.

I reached the wooden ramps that lead to Samos's hut. I heard voices from the inside.

".....but, can't we take showers first, Daddy?" It was Keira's voice. I opened the door, joining the conversation.

Samos tapped his chin. "All right. But, you must get to work immediately." He looked around at me. "_All_ of you."

We all shook our heads in agreement.

"Good. Well, I want to go see how the artifact is coming along. If you'll excuse me....." Samos brushed past me, his bird fluttering behind but stopping in front of me. It's beady black eyes blinked twice, then he followed the green man outside.

Daxter hopped onto the table. "So, I was thinking. In the shower, do you think all of us will fit? I mean, I know I'll fit, but with all of you humans put together, it might get a little crowded....." Keira nudged him with her elbow, making him fall off of the table.

I laughed. Daxter had landed flat on his stomach, and was laying there, unmoving.

"Right." He muttered. "We'll kick Jak out, and it'll just be me and you girls-" He was cut off by Keira stepping on his tail. He squeaked in pain.

"Lay off the abuse, Keira." Darla said, laughing. "He just wants to show us his love and affection by flirting!" She went over to where Dax whimpered in pain. Keira snickered, removing her foot from Daxter's tail.

Darla scooped him up in her arms. Daxter was biting his bottom lip, holding back tears.

"Okay, no showers together," He squeaked, "Just individual showers. No pain for me."

Darla laughed. "Poor guy. You made him cry, Keira!"

Keira became serious. Daxter began to protest, but Keira interrupted by saying, "Aw, Dax, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you that bad."

Daxter had a blank expression on his face. Then, he put his hands over his eyes. "Oh, the pain! The agony!" Keira came over and her and Darla cooed at him.

I couldn't believe this. That con artist! I gaped at what I was watching. I shook my head, disappointed in my partner. He was using the nice girls. I had to admit, his act was impressive. I decided I couldn't handle it any longer, and I left the hut. I walked down to the town center, and towards my hut. There was a decent sized bathroom around back, with two showers that my uncle put together for me and Daxter. I ran into it, and stripped down. I couldn't wait to step into that warm water.

I started up the shower. When the water was hot enough, I stepped in and started washing. I closed my eyes, suddenly remembering that nightmare I had two nights earlier.

_Let's see,_ I thought to myself, _what was going on in my head that night? _

In the first part, I was.....talking?! I mean, it could happen. It's not impossible. But, I don't even remember how I sounded. I just knew that I spoke. What was I saying? I was.....touching something gently. I think I had been apologizing for something. The next sequence- there was a very deep voice. It sounded friendly, and the voice called me, or rather, us a.....jalapeño pepper? Nah. That wasn't it. Chili peppers, that was it. It wasn't someone I knew, though.

How about the third part? Daxter got hurt. We were in a sandy place. And the fourth section- something.....dark and powerful, perhaps? It felt good to release that power. _That_ I remember. The fifth- yeah, I didn't like that one much. I remembered seeing a scary looking creature coming out of a circle. It had purple electric bolts coming out of it. It had said, "You cannot hide from me, boy." I was positive it was talking to me.

The last part is what I remembered most. It was when the couple that fell to their deaths into the pit of Dark Eco. That was a memory. It was a past event, not something I had never seen before. It was also the scariest part of the dream. My parents.....no, scratch that. My _guardians_ fell into that pit of Dark Eco. That was the day I stopped talking. After that part of the dream, I woke up.

_My guardians, _I thought, _Darla said they could have stolen me away from my real mom and dad. I know that Samos is my foster father, and I live with my uncle. Keira is my sister, and Daxter my brother. At least I know that they are my true family._

I soon heard the sound of little feet scurrying on the tile floor outside of my shower stall.

"Hey, Jakie." It was Daxter. I heard the door to my right open and shut. Only a wall separated the two showers. I heard grunting, and realized Daxter probably couldn't reach the water knobs. I went towards the wall, jumped up so my stomach leaned against the top, and bent forward. Daxter looked up at me as I turned the knobs.

"Thanks, pal. I don't know where I'd be without you. Probably using a stool, right now. Although, that isn't a bad idea....." He said, removing his gloves, belt, and cap with goggles. I chuckled. Then, I got the water to a hot temperature, slid back over the wall, and returned to my own shower.

"You know what, Jak?" I heard Daxter ask. I waited for him to speak.

"We have it great here." I smiled, understanding what he meant. We had everything in Sandover. Beaches, jungles, Misty Island (which isn't that great, but we like an adventure once in a while), Geyser Rock, and Precursor artifacts that we have and still haven't discovered yet. Other than Sandover's natural features, we have our friends and family. We did have it good.

"I wonder what will happen to us tomorrow." Daxter said. "I bet you Darla knows exactly what's going to happen. I also bet you it won't be good."

Darla didn't look happy when she had that vision earlier in the day. But, still, she wasn't too scared. So, I'm guessing we aren't going to blow up and die, or anything.

It was like Dax read my mind. "By the looks of it, it probably won't be the best thing that ever happened to us. But, at least we aren't going to die, right?"

I turned off the water in my shower. I grabbed the towel that hung from my door, and wrapped it around my waist. Opening the door, I stepped out, and knocked on Daxter's door twice.

"Alright, I'll see you back at the hut, then." He said over the running water.

I left the bathroom, and walked through the back door into the hut. I got out a pair of black flannel pajama pants and an undergarment, tossed my towel into a laundry basket, then pulled my bottoms on. I didn't bother with a shirt, since it was getting late anyway. I then tugged on my boots.

Daxter came not too long after I had walked in. He already had his gloves, cap, and belt back on. He put his towel (which was enormous compared to his little size) next to mine int the basket.

"We'd better get back to the artifact and finish it, before Big Green has a coronary." He said, his voice sounding agitated. I nodded, and he crawled up me and sat on my shoulder. We left the hut, and started making our way to Samos's hut.

When we got there, the sky was an indigo color. I staggered up to the ramp, where the artifact was put together. There was one more piece left. Samos wasn't there, so he must've gone inside. Daxter and I could hear voices from a window. We heard Darla and Keira. Once in a while, we'd hear Samos laugh about something.

Soon enough, I was tightening the last and final bolt. I smiled, proud of Dax and my accomplishment. I handed Daxter the wrench, and he whooped and put it in the tool box. I picked him and the tool box, and sprinted around to the front door of the hut, laughing all the way with my buddy. I burst through the door, tossing the tool box on the stool against the wall. Dax jumped out of my arms, and we broke into a funky victory dance.

Darla and Keira were literally laughing their heads off. Samos was making _tut _sounds, and shaking his head. When Daxter and I ended our routine, we stopped in a pose. We leaned against each other, crossing our arms and laughing. Darla and Keira clapped.

"I see you boys finished putting together the artifact." Samos said, clasping his hands behind his back. Dax and I nodded excitedly. Samos scowled. "Took you long enough!"

After spending some time at Samos and Keira's home, Daxter jumped onto my shoulder, Darla took my arm, and the three of us went back to our hut.

"Today was a good day, wasn't it?" Daxter asked, yawning in the process.

"It was a great day." Darla agreed, laying her head on my shoulder.

I smiled, happy to know I was surrounded by people I loved. Daxter smiled, looking a little drowsy. We were about ten feet away from the house when he fell asleep. He had slumped on my shoulder, wound his arms around my neck, and nuzzled his head into my cheek. I don't know how he could have fallen asleep in such a position, but he had done it many times since he had turned into an ottsel.

We went into the hut. Darla gave me a quick kiss on the lips, before going over to her bed. She hopped into the covers. I began unwinding the sleeping ottsel from my neck.

"You know, everything will work out, Jak." Darla said from across the room. I looked at her puzzled.

"No matter what happens tomorrow, never forget who you are, okay?" She lay back on her pillow, and fell asleep soon after.

_Who I am?_ I had thought. I walked over to Daxter's bed and lay him on the pillow. He curled up, muttered something, then lay still.

I went into my own bed, sliding under the covers. I remembered what Darla had said.

"_You know, everything will work out, Jak. No matter what happens tomorrow, never forget who you are."_

_I'll never forget who I am, _I promised myself, _No matter what happens to me._

I fell asleep, thinking of the day that could change everything.

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So, how did you like it? The next chapter is Through the Rift Gate, so please, please keep reading! Review, too (no flames)!

I'm really excited! Wow.....

I'll update as soon as possible!

JaknDaxfreak811


	7. Chapter 7: Through The Rift Gate

THE FINAL DAY HAS COME!!!!!

I don't want to keep you all waiting so, without further adu.....

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"Today's the big day Jak!" Samos said to me, as we prepared to activate the Precursor ring. "I hope you are prepared for whatever happens." I nodded, and walked with Daxter over to Darla and Keira, who were examining the vehicle. Keira tossed a wrench in her tool box and turned around.

"I think I've figured out most of this machine," She said, scratching her head. Darla tossed her a water bottle, and Keira took a swig of it. Daxter walked over to her and leaned up against her leg. She continued, "It interacts somehow with that large, Precursor ring. I just hope we didn't break anything moving it up here to the lab!"

"Easy for you to say!" Daxter piped up, "_We_ did all the heavy lifting!"

The three of us laughed. Darla came over to me and gave me a tight hug. "Remember what I told you, Jak, and never forget it, okay?" She whispered. I looked down at her quizzically, but nodded to let her know I understood. She guided me over to the machine, and we slid into the seat. Keira had already gotten in, and Daxter hopped in next to her. Darla slid in next then me, and then Samos came and squeezed his stubby self into the seat next to me.

Daxter reached for a bright red, jeweled button that was the size of my hand, but round shaped. But, just as he touched it with the tips of his fingers, Samos shouted directly into my ear, "Daxter! Don't touch anything!" He sat back in his seat, and closed his eyes. "Though the Precursors vanished long ago, the artifacts they left behind could still do great harm!"

Keira leaned forward. "Or great good, if you've figured out how to use them."

Samos paused to think. Then, he nodded. "I've had some experience with such things. I know you can make it work."

I looked at the buttons in front of me. The pressure was inevitable. I was glad I took a shower that morning.....I'd have been smelling like sweat.....

A hand touched mine. Darla squeezed it, and mouthed "big red button". I sighed with relief. Darla would know.

I hesitated in front of the button, but then I pushed it hard until I heard a _click_. Then, a egg shaped artifact floated out of the vehicle. It broke apart, revealing symbols and small pieces that rotated around it.

"Looks like Jak's still got the mojo!" Daxter said, looking over at me.

"Interesting....." Keira said, studying it. "It appears to be reading out some preset coordinates....."

She was cut off by the machine shaking, and things starting to move. The ring in front of us began to rise. It formed a circle in the air, and rotated slightly. Other objects that belonged with it floated around, too.

"Wow!" Daxter said. "Look at that!"

Darla heaved a shaky sigh. I glanced at her, beginning to worry, but was soon distracted by a huge, violet colored monster protruding from the ring. The freakiest part, though, was its voice.

"Finally!" It growled. "The last Rift Gate has been opened!"

_That voice_, I thought, _Where have I heard that voice?_

Frightening, black, bird-like creatures came flying out of the so-called Rift Gate.

"AAAH!" Daxter yelled, "What are those things?!"

"So this is how it happened....." Samos muttered to himself. I looked at Darla, who had tears streaming down her face. I bent down and kissed her quickly on the lips, before nearly jumping off the vehicle from fright. The creature's roar had been extremely loud.

"You cannot hide from me, boy!" It hissed.

I gasped. _My dream? This horrible thing was in my dreams?!_

"Do something, Jak!" Keira yelled, putting more pressure on my mind.

"What's this do?" Daxter squeaked, "Or this? How about this one? Everyone! Press all the buttons!" I frantically searched the controls, then decided on the red one again.

Not a great decision.

The vehicle sling-shot forward, sending us into a spiraling, violet, blue, and white vortex.

"What was that thing?" Keira shouted over the noise. The machine moved side to side, making me dizzy.

"Hang on, everyone!" Samos said, hanging onto the sides of the vehicle.

"YAAAAAHHH!" Daxter screamed, deafening everyone on the machine. "I want off this thing!" He looked up at me, fear taking over his fuzzy face. He gripped the bar in front of us and squeezed his eyes shut.

All of a sudden, a lightning bolt slammed into out vehicle, blasting it to pieces. _This is what Darla saw! She probably saw even more, too! _I thought to myself. I saw Keira scream and fly off to the left, Samos even farther to my right. Before I could grab her arm, Darla slipped away to the left, too, following Keira, and curled up into a ball. I wanted to scream to her, but my voice wouldn't let me.

I realized that Daxter was underneath me, which was extremely fortunate. I wanted to be with my best friend right now. I pulled him up next to me, and then, all we saw was purple. The last thing we heard from our companions, was Samos's voice.

"Find yourself, Jak!"

I could hear the wind whistling around us, and the next thing we knew, we were slammed into the ground. But, it sure didn't feel like the ground. I opened my eyes, and realized I was laying on my back, on some metallic surface. I looked down by my feet to see Daxter sliding across the surface, the vehicle's safety bar still in hand. I sat up, and brushed off my arms. I looked around, feeling scared, and seeing frightened people, on foot and on various zoomers. Everyone looked sick and tired, and I already hated where we landed. It was some sort of city, but it sure looked like crud. I stood, shaken from the crash.

Daxter shook his head and stood up. He threw the bar away, and it clattered to the ground.

"Okay," He said, "That is that last time I ever, _ever_, touch any stupid precursor crud!"

Then, I heard a muffled voice. "There he is. Move in." I turned around to see a man with tattoos on his face, holding a pistol. He was with what looked like two men in protective armor. Guards of some sort. Daxter flinched as they surrounded us. "Step away from the animal!" One guard said menacingly. Daxter screamed, and ran in between the man's legs, disappearing from my site.

_Daxter?_ I thought nervously.

"Forget the rat!" The man with tattoos commanded, "The Baron wants him!" I backed away, only to be blocked by the other guard.

"We've been waiting for you." The tattooed man hissed. A guard lifted his gun, and slammed me in the face. I fell to the ground with a thud, loosing consciousness. The last thing I heard before slipping away, was Daxter's nervous voice.

"Don't worry, Jak! I'll save you before you know it!"

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How did you like it?

The next two or three chapters will be split between Daxter's point of view and Jak's point of view. I will be showing everyone (based on the game Daxter) what our favorite ottsel was doing for the following two years.

Excited? I hope so!

Please, read and review!

JaknDaxfreak811


	8. Chapter 8: Daxter: Nothing Matters

Here is our favorite little ottsel's story- this is the beginning of Daxter's struggle to survive in Haven City, cold, alone, and bored out of his skull!

Without further ado…..

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"_Behind every great hero, there is an obnoxious, wisecracking nincompoop!" _Samos the Green Sage.

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_Daxter._

"Don't worry Jak! I'll save you before you know it!" I shouted, after I ran under one of those cop-like guys. The metallic ground was ice-cold under my hands…..I mean, paws. I looked back in time to see my best friend hit the ground.

Just as I turned my head back around, I nearly crashed into _another_ cop! Those guys were everywhere…..I leapt on top of the cop, in fear of being knocked unconscious like Jak, and startled the guy. He made a funny gargled scream kind of sound, and lifted his gun in protection. I landed on the other side of him, almost crashing into a short, very old, and sort of chubby, man. I kept running as fast as I could. I could hear the cop, who had landed on his armored buttock, say to the old man, "What was that?!" The old man replied, "Oh, I didn't see anything."

I had to remind myself to thank that old dude later.

I ran down a ramp that was attached to the metallic landing, and tried to avoid crashing into more people.

A woman with long, red hair screamed and pointed at me as I passed by.

"Eeek! A rat! A wild animal! Guards! Kill it!"

I screamed and hopped onto my hind legs, running at full speed towards a dark alley. I could hear boots clanking on the ground behind me. I ducked into the alley way, and hid behind a large and empty whiskey bottle. I watched as the guard ran past, and another guard on a red zoomer followed close behind.

I tried to catch my breath, leaning against the cold wall and closing my eyes.

Where was I? What happened? What did those…..guards want with Jak? Where was Keira, Big Green, and Darla? There were so many questions that I may never get the answers to.

I peeked around the bottle. There were tons of guards, but no sign of the one's that were pursuing me. I stepped out cautiously on the street.

There were so many people. I knew from that, and the various zoomers and stores/homes, that I was in a city. A big one at that. But, weren't cities normally filled with happy people and lights and fun and dramatic billboards? These people looked so….._depressed._ Ugh, it made me ill to see not one person was smiling. I noticed some of those guards arresting some people, just from "hovering" in the walking area. Not even a chance.

I began to walk around the area, laying low so no one would notice me. I had to think of what I was going to do. I didn't have a communicator, or any writing utensils so I could write a letter. No way of contacting any of my friends, no way of escaping on my own. A shadow passed over me, and I jumped, ready to run, but I realized it was just another zoomer. I was probably going to be jumpy for a while.

"Hey, man, you really shouldn't be selling that booze."

A male's voice came from a nearby alley. I stopped to over hear.

"I know, but it's the only thing I have to make money off of. I can't support my family unless I earn some tickets, cash, cards, or even those rare Precursor orbs!" A second male said. I peeked into the alley way, to see two young men standing very close, and talking really low.

"The Krimzon Guards will shoot you, Mund…..or worse, take you to Baron Praxis, if you get caught!" The first male said.

"Clyde, it is a risk, I know. But, I am willing to take it. If I have to die just to protect my family, then so be it." Mund muttered.

"Wow." I breathed…..perhaps a little too loudly.

Both men, Clyde and Mund, turned towards me and glared. My ears lowered, and I shrank back.

"Oops."

The man known as Mund growled and stomped his foot. "Great. Just fantastic! Now a talking animal just found out what I was doing, and he'll probably go running to the KGs!"

Clyde covered his face. "I'm against killing animals, but for the sake of your family….." He pulled out a really sharp switch blade. My hands began to sweat inside my leather gloves.

"No! Wait, please!" I begged backing up against the corner, "I wasn't going to tell! I just don't know where I am or what is going on…..I just…..I can't…..please!" I covered my cap with my hands, hiding my head in fright.

I noticed Clyde put away his switch blade, and bent down to my level. He scooted over to me, and I cautiously unprotected my head.

"What's your name, son?" He asked, resting his arm on his knee. Mund came up behind him and crossed his arms.

"D-Daxter. I'm not from around here….." I replied.

"Obviously. How old are you? And how are you able to talk?"

I thought about the information I was about to give these men. I realized it probably wouldn't matter if I told them about what happened to me. "Well, I'm fifteen years old, and I wasn't always a rodent. I fell into a pit of…..Dark Eco a few weeks, maybe a month, back and it changed me into this. I can't change back."

Clyde stood and backed up slightly. "You say Dark Eco did this to you?" I nodded.

"Where are you from?" Mund asked me.

I kept my mouth shut now, because who knows what could happen if they found out where I lived.

"Not telling, eh?" Mund said. He smirked slightly, and I noticed that he and his friend were young, maybe only twenty-nine years old. But, it didn't matter to me. Nothing really mattered anymore, except for finding Jak and getting the heck out of this city.

I decided to put on the "lonely, poor orphan" act. I needed a place to crash for a while. "I'm alone, with no food, and no place to stay." I widened my eyes, and stuck out part of my bottom lip. Mund uncrossed his arms and smiled warmly.

"You can stay with me for a while, but only if you keep this whole 'illegal selling' ordeal our secret."

I smiled back. "Oh, really? You'd let little ol' me stay with you? Oh, thank you, kind sir!"

Who knew they'd buy my act? It was a fool-proof plan!

"Don't you worry, kid, you'll be fine with me." Mund hid his bottles of booze inside a large trench coat, that he slipped on. Clyde glanced at Mund, then down at me, and said goodbye. He left the alley way, when he saw that the coast was clear.

"I almost forgot," I muttered to Mund, "The…..guards, the Krimzon Guards…..KG, is it? They're sort of looking for me…..because I accidentally startled a couple people….."

Mund scowled, and I shrank back. "Great. I am illegally selling alcohol, and illegally hiding a refugee." He opened his coat. "Here, hide in my jacket."

I hesitated, but remembered that nothing mattered anymore, and hopped into the man's jacket. I slipped into an internal pocket in the trench coat, and curled up inside of it. Mund began to walk.

I sighed quietly trying to figure out why I kept telling myself "nothing mattered". Was it because of loosing Jak and the others? Most definitely. I began a list in my head of everything that mattered to me and everything that no longer mattered.

_Let's see, _I thought, _Jak, Keira, Darla, and Wrinkles matter to me. It matters that I try finding them over the course of the next couple of hours…..maybe days. It shouldn't take to long, though the city _was_ kind of big. It matters that I stay away from those Krimzon Guards…..not people I'm going to mess with. I suppose it matters that Mund's family stays safe, and I keep the secret for him….but it only matters a little bit. _

What didn't matter anymore? If I got kidnapped by someone, I could easily escape, so that didn't matter. If I got lost, who would even bother to try and find me? That meant nothing to me. If I died…..I mean, of course _I_ would care, it's just…..who would even know that I had gone? What would happen if I had never found my friends? I'd have nothing to live for.

Wow. My normally amazingly funny and outrageous attitude was going _way_ down south.

I was getting scared. It is not something that is normal for me, no, with me being a hero and all. But, yes, I admit it. I was scared. Terrified. Afraid. About to wet my fur.

After about ten minutes of walking, Mund came to a stop. I peeked my head out of the pocket, and saw that we were in a completely different section of the city. So different looking, in fact, I completely forgot what I was doing in Mund's pocket. He noticed I had come out of the pocket slightly, and shrugged.

"Welcome to the Slums. This is the northern side of the city, mostly people who don't have as much money as the Southerners. But, it's home."

I hopped out of his pocket, and we walked up to an old, wooden door. Before Mund could open it, a little girl, maybe about seven years old, flew out of it and into Mund's arms.

"Daddy! You're home! I'm so happy!" She squealed. She had shoulder length brown hair that was curled at the bottom, and big green eyes. She was very tiny, only about a foot taller than me. And I was only two feet tall. She was wearing tattered clothes. Mund held her closely.

"I'm happy to see you, too, Haliz. Where's your mommy?"

But, Mund never got his answer, because the girl known as Haliz had dropped from her father and bounced over to me.

"Hi, little guy!" She squeaked. I muttered a "hello" and she squeaked again.

"You talk? Where are you from? What is your name? How can you talk?!"

I answered two of those questions, and she seemed satisfied.

"Daxter is staying with us for a few days, while he gets settled in here in Haven City." Mund said to Haliz, as we stepped into a dimly lit living area.

"Who is Daxter?"

Mund turned towards the sound of a tired woman's voice. A young woman, stepped out of the hallway to my right. She was wiping her hands on a blue towel. Mund shut the front door, and walked over to the woman.

"Mina," Mund said to the woman. He pointed to me. "This is Daxter. He is a friend in need." Mina gasped as she saw me, realizing Mund was referring to me as a person. Which, I _was_ a person, just in animal form. Mina then smiled as warmly as Mund had earlier.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Daxter." She kissed Mund on the cheek, took his coat and its contents, and returned to the room at the end of the hallway. I scurried over to the couch, and sat on it, not knowing how much weight it would be able to support.

"That was my wife." Mund said to me, grinning. "She is very wonderful."

"She seems very nice." I muttered. Mund scratched his head, then followed the path of his wife.

Haliz then skipped up to me and pat my head. "Wait until Nica sees you! Nica is my big sister. She's fifteen, too! You guys could play together, 'cause Nica is always alone and stuff!"

"Hal, really, I hate it when you tell people my business."

I looked to my left, and saw a girl emerging from a dark room. I couldn't help but smirk. She was pretty, um…..well, _pretty_. She was about five foot two, had long black hair that parted slightly to the side, so it covered these bright blue eyes. She was wearing a blue thin-strapped tank top, and the shirt exposed her stomach. Many women in…..Haven City exposed body parts…..Anyway, she had black cargo pants that tucked into midnight blue boots. She leaned against the doorframe, a thin eyebrow lifted.

I hopped off the couch, licked my hand, and smoothed my ears back. It was time to have some fun while I was stuck here. I puffed out my chest and walked up to Nica.

"The name's Daxter. But you can call me Dax." I said, sticking out my hand. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Um," I gulped, "I'm very hot-I mean, _happy _to meet you." Hey, give me a break. Loosing my cool isn't something I normally do, but I'd had a rough day!

Nica nodded at me. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Nica, obviously. Haliz has a really big mouth, don't listen to her."

_A really big mouth, _I thought to myself, _Now, where have I heard that one before?_

I heard Haliz making funny sounds with her mouth, and then I heard her run out of the room.

"So," Nica said, making her way over to the couch I had been sitting on, "You're a talking…..ottsel?"

I sighed and hopped onto the couch next to her. I told her what I told Mund and Clyde earlier that day.

"Wow, that sucks." She said, becoming more comfortable, and less tense. "What did you look like before you turned?"

I laughed. "I was tall, and buff, with spiky red hair and a perfect smile."

"Getting cocky now, are we, Daxter?"

"Me, cocky? Never." I fiddled with a strap dangling from my cap.

"How did you get here? Where did you come from?" She asked, putting her hair behind her long pointy ears.

I demurred. What would be wrong with telling a girl, who was the same age as me, and, according to Haliz, didn't have many friends, about my life? Like I had said many times that day, it wouldn't really matter if I told one person.

So, I told her my life's story.

She paid close attention, nodding, gasping, and laughing at appropriate times. I felt sad most of the time I told my story, because I remembered all the good times and bad times Jak and I went through in life, but the fact that someone besides Jak and Darla was actually listening to me made me feel really good.

When I was finished, Nica was deep in thought.

"Sandover Village, you said?" She asked. I nodded. "It _does_ sound familiar, now that I think about it, but I don't think I can help you."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

Nica frowned. "Dax, you just lost half of you life. You came to a strange new place, basically lost your friends, who are more like your family, you were nearly killed by KG's, and now you are all alone, living with a poor family! It definitely matters!"

"I guess so. But, whatever happens to me, it probably won't affect Jak or anyone. As far as I know, they could all be dead by now."

Nica put her hand on my paw. We sat there for a minute in silence. I noticed that it was nighttime, for the sky had darkened through the pale curtains that covered a nearby window.

"You want go somewhere?" Nica suddenly asked.

"Where are we going to go?" I was curious of what we could do in a terrible place like Haven City.

Nica shrugged. "We can go walking. I stole security passes from KG's a while back, that lead to every part of the City. We could go to a bar and get some drinks or something."

I nodded vigorously. "I like drinks!"

Nica laughed and got to her feet. She went towards the entry way of the hallway her parents and sister had gone down.

"Dad! Daxter and I are going out!" She shouted. "I don't know when we'll be home. We'll be careful!"

A faint voice called back, "Be safe! Don't get in trouble, and don't get drunk!"

"You got it!" Nica replied to the voice. She went to the coat rack and grabbed a black leather jacket. She felt her pockets, which bulged out slightly.

"What's in the pockets, Nica?" I asked, walking towards the front door.

"The security passes, some tickets, and a can of pepper spray." She noticed my eyebrow lifting at "pepper spray", and said, "There are a ton of creeps in Haven."

She opened the door, and we stepped out into the dark street. I shut the door behind us, and tried to keep up with Nica. I was a bit slow, because, obviously, I was only two feet tall. Nica offered to carry me, but for some reason, I had preferred to ride on her shoulder.

We eventually came to the area where Jak and I crashed. I gulped, trying to forget about it and telling myself to have fun.

"You okay, Daxter?" Nica asked me quietly. I nodded.

"This is where I last saw Jak. Up on those landings."

"Oh."

We stayed silent, until _another_ woman starting freaking out and saying, "There's a rodent on that poor girl's shoulder! Guards! Kill it!"

What was with these Haven babes? They'd never seen an ottsel in this city before?!

A KG came up to Nica, and I coward behind her shoulder. Yes, I admit it. I coward. But, everybody gets scared, right?

"Is this rat bothering you, young lady?" The guard's voice growled.

"No, he is my friend. Leave us be." Nica replied bravely. Through the guard's red and black mask, I could tell through his eyes that he was taken aback. I had learned to read eyes since Jak had a mute.

The guard huffed. "Move along, or I'll arrest you for loitering."

Nica narrowed her eyes, and walked around the guard. I climbed back onto her shoulder.

"I'm tired of walking. It's time to ride." She said. A two-seater zoomer passed over head, and Nica leapt into the air, grabbing onto the edge of the vehicle.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" A man's gruff voice came form inside the zoomer. I clung to Nica as she swung herself into the zoomer.

"Hi!" She said. She grabbed onto the man's shirt, "Mind if I borrow your zoomer?" She didn't give him the chance to answer, before she threw him out of the vehicle. I hopped off her shoulder and into the passenger seat, and she took the wheel.

The wind felt good as the zoomer picked up speed. I put my head against the seat and laughed.

"That was so mean, Nica. But it was awesome!" I said, feeling the sides of the green zoomer.

Nica laughed. "That's basically how you get a ride in this place. Find a zoomer, use it, then leave it somewhere."

We left "sector three", also known as, the red area, and entered The Port, as Nica called it. There was a lot of water here, and tall towers that had wires running to each building. I could see right neon lights, brighter than the regular lights I had seen before, that said "Hip Hog Haven."

We pulled into an alley, hopped out of the vehicle, and I followed Nica to the entrance of the bar. The doors slid open. We stepped inside, and I immediately noticed the large metal pole in the center of the room. It was inside a box, that was like a fighting ring, right smack in the middle of everything. There were people in blue-lit booths. Heads of some odd looking creatures were all along the walls. There were many men and women packed together in the room, making me very vulnerable, and making it easy for someone to…..I don't know…..squish me!

I hooked onto Nica's pant leg, and she walked to the back to the room. She stopped when we came to the bar. I let go of her pant leg, and climbed onto a stool. Nica sat on a stool beside me.

A man with black eyes and black hair came up to Nica, smiling.

"Nica, babe, how's life treating you?" The man asked.

"Eh, same old thing, Kris." Nica replied. "This is my new friend, Daxter. Yes, he's a talking animal."

The guy known as Kris sized me up. Then he shrugged his shoulders, "I've met weirder creature-people. So what'll it be?"

"Give us the strongest thing you've got back there." Nica said smirking.

Kris laughed. "One Big Bang, coming right up!" He turned to make the drink.

"The Big Bang sounds great. I need something like that." I said, rubbing my paws together.

Nica smirked at me. "It's amazing. Greatest drink I've ever had. I doubt you've had something this strong before."

Kris came back with four shot glasses, a bright blue liquid in each glass. He put two in front of me, and two in front of Nica. "It's on the house." Kris said, when he saw Nica taking out tickets. She thanked him, and he went to another customer.

We each lifted a glass. "Here's to a new beginning." Nica said. Our glasses clanked together, and she tossed back her Big Bang.

I looked into the glass, then shot mine into my mouth. The drink had a strange, fruity taste, and burned my throat as it went down. As the burn began to disappear, it was replaced by an ice cold sharpness.

"Whoa!" I said, tossing back my second. "That is the best thing I've ever had!"

Nica fiddled with her empty glasses. "I told you, didn't I? You could get a full glass of it, but I thought we should start out small-"

She was cut off by some people nearby shouting. The music that had been playing had shut off, and Nica and I hopped onto the floor. I climbed onto her shoulder to get a better look at what was going on.

There were two Krimzon Guards standing in front of the entrance.

"This party is over, people! We're closing it early! His Majesty is making sure that there are no fugitives hidden in every store! EVERYBODY OUT!" One guard said.

Nica hopped over the bar, startling me slightly, and ducked down. She crawled over to where Kris was standing, mouth agape, and pulled him down to the floor.

"What's wrong Nica?" He hissed.

"We need to get out of here!" She hissed back. "Take us through the back door!"

Kris nodded, and crawled around the bar to a big brown door. He pushed it open slightly, and Nica crawled through.

"Straight back, last door on your right! It will lead you to the Gun Course room!" Kris whispered as the door shut behind us.

Nica stood and ran towards the correct door. She turned the handle, and pushed the door open. We were in an empty room for a second, but then we were back outside. A single passenger car was conveniently placed in front of the door.

"That was too close!" I said, as Nica hopped onto the zoomer, and kicked it on. She pulled up, making the vehicle leave the hover zone.

"Yeah, I know. We should really get back." She replied.

We drove in silence for a while, then I asked, "So this "Baron Praxis". What's his deal?"

"Well, to start off, he sucks at being king. He's fighting a war with these creatures, called Metal Heads, that are trying to invade and take over the city. Praxis also is trying to find this thing that will make him the most powerful being in the world. We can't let him find it, whatever it is."

"We?" I asked. "Who is we?"

Nica made an "oops" sound, then sighed. "Look, don't tell anyone, okay? But, I'm with a group of rebels, called The Underground. Also known as the Freedom League. We are also part of this war, by we're trying to stop Praxis _and_ the Metal Heads. My family doesn't even know I'm in a rebellion, so keep your mouth shut."

"There are too many that I have to keep to myself!" I muttered. "Your secret is in good hands….or, rather, paws."

Soon enough, we began pulling onto Nica's street. But, we then heard a child screaming, and a familiar male voice saying, "No, please! We didn't do anything!"

"Dad!" Nica whispered, turning down a different street. She put the zoomer into hover mode, and hopped off. "Shh, don't say anything." She said to me, as I clung to her shoulder. She stayed low, and ran to a corner to see what was going on.

"Don't take us, please! Leave us alone!" Mund shouted, his hands being held behind his back by a KG. Poor little Haliz was being held by another KG, crying hysterically. Mina was weeping softly, as she was guided to a very large, _very _menacing KG zoomer that had a cage on the back of it. The cage door was opened by a KG, and Mina, Mund, and Haliz were thrown inside.

"Oh no….." I whispered. There was another large zoomer parked behind the cage one, and that one had big guns in front of it.

"They're taking my family away in a Hellcat!" Nica gasped.

"A Hellcat? That's what those big zoomers are called?"

I received no answer, so I continued to watch the scene in front of me.

"This is the punishment for harboring an Underground fugitive!" One guard said.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about. Honestly!" Mund defended. He was telling the truth. He had no idea his daughter was part of the rebellion.

The guards ignored the family's pleads, and hopped into their vehicles. The zoomers hovered for a moment, then shot into the air, startling several citizens.

Nica dropped to her knees. "It's all my fault! I should have been here to stop them!"

I slid off her shoulder and put my hand on hers reassuringly. "You would have been taken, too. That wouldn't have changed anything."

She wiped her blue eyes, which I noticed were getting moist. "That may be true, but I should have listened to my leader. He told me it would be a risk, but I didn't care. I wanted my family with me. I was selfish. And now I've paid the price."

I thought for a moment. Yeah, she should have listened, but seriously! She's a fifteen year old rebel, fighting a frigging war against two very powerful opposing sides! She was just trying to bring justice to this god forsaken city.

"You should go to the Underground." I finally said. "They can help you, right?"

Nica stood, and I scrambled onto her shoulders. "Yeah, I have my own place in one of the safe houses behind the headquarters. You and I could crash there. Now, I realize, we're _both_ alone. Besides, we don't want to get caught."

We began our trip to the Underground's HQ in silence. After a while of walking, Nica laughed humorlessly.

"What?" I asked her.

She laughed again, but looked really upset. "I was just thinking; so what if we caught? There's nothing for us to lose, other than our lives. It's just like you said before." She paused, shaking her head. Then she continued. "When everything you had is gone, nothing is important."

I finally got what she was saying. I said it so low, I wasn't even sure she heard me.

"Nothing matters anymore."

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I really had fun writing that chapter. Nica is just going to be a good friend, he isn't going to date her, obviously, because Daxter belongs

to TESS **:D**! Besides, I already know Nica's **fate**. Nica is pronounced (**NEE-KUH**).The next chapter might be Daxter's, or it may be Jak's,

but either way, let me tell you, it is going to be a **great** one!

As I have always said in the past…..

On to the next!

JaknDaxfreak811


	9. Chapter 9: Death Over Anything

It is his first day in prison.

Poor Jak. He doesn't know what he is in for. Daxter may have had an extremely rough and exciting day, but Jak is stuck in a dark cell, waiting for the end to come.....

The end isn't even close.

Here is the next chapter.

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I groaned.

The floor was cold on my chest and face.....and the air felt the same temperature. I wasn't home, that was for sure. I'd feel the warm air on my face. It wasn't winter season yet. But, I still didn't understand why it was cold. I could hear screaming in the distance. I reluctantly opened my eyes, and gasped.

I was staring at a bloody wall.

I cried out and frantically got to my knees. I scooted far away from the wall until my back hit something. It was a cot. It was long, rather than wide, and had a single mattress on top. It was chained against the wall.

The walls of this.....room were a pale yellow, and a lot of metallic plates were covering most of the poorly painted room. There was a dusty sink in the far corner, near the dry blood that had been dripping down the wall.

My heart raced, and I hugged myself tight. I noticed that I had been changed into a two-piece outfit, that was an earthy color. I had a crimson-colored bandana resting around my neck. I was wearing tan boots, and, luckily, I had my goggles still on. But, what could I possibly need them for now?

Escape.

I had to get out of there, and find my friends! I uncurled myself from my tight ball, and went over to the steel door. There was absolutely no was of opening that. There was only a tiny window, with a tint of violet to it. No help whatsoever. I scooted over to my cot, and looked under it. There was a vent, and it was open, but only Daxter could fit through there.....

I went back over to recheck the door again, when it slid open. I jumped back. A red-haired man in that red and black suit all those guards were wearing stood menacingly in the shadow of the doorway.

"Hello, Jak." The man said. "I am Baron Praxis's right hand-man, and a Krimzon Guard of Haven City. But, you may call me Errol."

I lost him at "hello Jak". I didn't reply, or acknowledge what he said. He got down on one knee, and I backed away from him.

"It's alright. We aren't going to hurt you, dear boy." He couldn't even _sound_ like a good person. "You are one of the few lucky chosen people to become a super weapon." I turned my head away from him. He continued, "You must come with me now. We are just going to run tests, and inject you with a special type of eco, known as Dark Eco. Are you familiar with this?"

I gasped, a heavy feeling forming in my chest. I felt dizzy. He said I wouldn't get hurt!

"Obviously, you're not much of a.....conversationalist. Ah, no matter." He stood up and turned his back to me. "We'll make you talk soon enough. Get up."

I unwillingly stood, my legs surprisingly weak. I looked down at my shaking hands. I jumped as Errol clamped down a set of handcuffs on my wrists. He put a hand on my back and pushed me forward.

I stepped into a brightly lit area. It was a circular shaped room, with an exit on the other side. The plates on the walls and doors may have been silver, but the florescent violet lights made it look dark and eerie. There were cells on all the walls, and in the center was a tall hexagonal cylinder with a giant red "5" on it. Around the other side of it, was our exit.

We went through some sliding glass doors, and walked down a long corridor. There were cells here, too. I could see people against the tiny windows, calling out to me.

I had never been so scared in my entire life.

At the end of the hallway, there was an elevator. They automatically slid open as we approached.

"Get in." Errol commanded. I did what I had been told, and he followed in behind me. The doors slid shut, and we descended.

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"Have a seat."

I stared at the lounge-like chair in front of me, and cocked my head. Sharp, frightening tools protruded from a metallic tube that hung from the ceiling. There was_ no way_ I was getting into that chair.

There was no way out, though. I looked on either side of me. We were basically on a thin bridge, with a island-like place in the middle. On either side of me was a bottomless pit. The only way out was either the use of a lift, or the elevator. I did what the freaky red-haired man said, and lay down on the chair.

Almost immediately, my arms, legs, and torso were automatically strapped down. I tried pulling at them, but they were way too strong for me.

"His Majesty will be here in a moment. Just sit tight." Errol snickered at his own joke.

This guy was really pissing me off.

Not a moment too soon, "His Majesty" came through the elevator doors. He came to the side of my chair, and looked at me like I was a prized possession of his. He had a metallic patch over an eye, and he was wearing bulky red, silver, and light blue armor. He had a metallic band around his head, a brown mustache, and many rings on his fingers.

After a moment, the Baron walked over to a control panel and started punching in codes, and pushing brightly lit buttons. The tools directly above my body immediately came to life, rotating and spinning. I noticed four sharp drills that were the main tools for this machine. I gulped.

Errol went over to the Baron and took over the control panel. The baron put his hands behind his back, and casually walked over to my side again. I looked up at him with hate. He stared right back at me.

He bent over to my pointed ear. "I own you." He hissed. I growled and tried to break free of the straps again, but was once more unsuccessful. He laughed at my weak attempts.

"My boy," He started, pacing around our little island of torture, "You should be happy to be here. _Honored_ to be here. You are one of the few chosen to become a Dark Warrior."

I obviously said nothing. He continued, "What is a 'Dark Warrior', you ask? Well,young man, it begins with a process, called the Dark Warrior Program, in which you will be pumped with Dark eco until you are powerful enough to destroy all the metalhead armies!" he laughed with pride. "I can tell you're different from the others, boy. I can tell that you are special. You are strong enough to withstand the power that is Dark Eco!" He pounded his fist into his hand.

"You're not like the others, my dear boy," He said again, in a low voice, "The others.....couldn't handle the dark powers. But, you can do it. I know you can."

_Pumped with Dark eco?! _I thought to myself, _Darla was pumped with Dark eco, and she ended up turning into a.....monster. Is that who I will become?_

There was one final button that Errol pressed, before turning around to face us.

"It is ready, Baron Praxis." He smiled mischievously. Then, he stepped over to me. He pat my blonde hair, and said, "You are going to save us all."

I sighed, feeling overcome with sadness and distress. _Now, where had I heard that one before?_

Praxis cleared his throat. "Begin the injection cycle."

Errol and Praxis both headed over towards the control panel. Errol pressed a bright green button. An electronic woman's voice suddenly came out of a loud speaker.

"Beginning injection cycle. Subject prepared for procedure."

The drills slowly lowered towards me. I struggled, knowing that if the Dark eco didn't kill me, the drills would. I could feel unfamiliar tears streaming down my cheeks, as I cried out in fear. When was the last time I cried? I couldn't even remember. All I knew was that the shiny, silver drills reflected mixed emotions coming from my cerulean blue eyes.

I felt sharp pain in my stomach as the first and widest death drill entered my body. I squeezed my eyes shut and yelled at the top of my lungs. The drills had to be at least four inches deep in my stomach. I could feel it twisting around in my gut.

Then, all of a sudden, I was being electrocuted.

All I saw was purple and red. I screamed louder than I had ever screamed in my entire life. Jolts and shocks attacked me from the inside. I arched my back feeling the burn from the straps digging into my skin, but they were nothing compared to the agony I was in now. Nothing could ever be compared to this pain. In my head, I was begging the Precursors to kill me right then and there.

After about several minutes of pure torture, The pain ceased. I opened my eyes, breathing heavily.

"Injection cycle complete. Bio-readings slightly increased." The woman's voice stated.

Through blurred vision, I saw Praxis and Errol standing over me.

"_Slightly_ _increased_?!" The baron's voice rang angrily, "Impossible! We gave him fifteen minutes worth of injections! He should be in warrior form by now!"

Errol's voice sounded distant to me. "He is very strong, his body quite resistant for the time being. But, it is working. Look at the wound from the Eco drill. It is only a scar now, and by tomorrow, it will be completely gone."

The baron sighed. "I suppose you're right. Take him back to his cell. I'll be in the throne room....." I heard foot steps, the slide of doors, then nothing.

I felt the painful straps loosen, then come off. The next thing I knew, I was on my feet, leaning against Errol's cold armor. He silently guided me to the elevator, and we stepped inside as soon as the doors opened. My sight fully returned now, and I could feel the pain in my stomach lessening.

Soon, we reached my cell. The door slid open, and Errol roughly pushed me inside. I sat quietly on the floor, as he adjusted the knobs on my sink, and punched in a locking code on my door. As he was doing that, he looked at me, and was smiling.

I was so done with this twisted man.

All of a sudden, everything went purple, and red lightning bolt shapes bordered my sight. I feel the pain disappearing, and a voice sounded in my head.

_You hate this man_, it whispered, _Give him what he deserves....._

I screamed and tackled Errol to the ground. I couldn't control my anger, or my actions. I barely even noticed my sudden change in appearance. I clawed at Errol, but was suddenly shocked back to normal with a small laser-like gun. I was off of Errol, and curled up on the floor, all the pain returning. I whimpered, and silently cried.

"I shall go and inform His Majesty that your first injection cycle was a complete success." He muttered, leaving the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

I cried harder, wanting to go home. I wondered if this was the end for me, if I was going to die here. I sort of wished that I would. I would have taken death over feeling emptiness and pain any day. All I knew now, was that I was on my own, and alone in this new world.

The only pain I felt now were the burns on my body, and the burns on my heart.

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That was honestly one of my best chapters ever.

Quite a sad chapter, wasn't it? Sorry I have not updated in a while. I had to study for my exams. School finished yesterday, so now I have loads of time to relax and write.

Until next time,

JaknDaxfreak811


	10. Chapter 10: Hope

**WARNING!**

Spoilers for whoever hasn't played the game.....

**JAK AND DAXTER IV: THE LOST FRONTIER **(for PSP and PS2)

Seriously excited for it!

The following chapter is in both Daxter's point of view, and Jak's, too, eventually. Without further ado.....

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_Jak._

Today was my sixteenth birthday.

I had been in this place for about six months. I'd missed Daxter and Darla's sixteenth birthdays, as well as Keira's annual zoomer extravaganza, which normally takes place on _her_ birthday. It would be a lot of fun, taking out the zoomers and racing on them. I miss the wind on my face. Heck, I miss the _air_ I used to _breath!_

Oh well. It doesn't matter now. I mean, I actually don't care any more. I was moved into the cell next to mine (just a bigger version of the bloody, disgusting one I was previously staying in) because I sort of tore mine apart. Every time I would turn into a monster, I'd go.....crazy and attack anything in sight. The guy who used to stay in my new room just died from too many Dark eco injections. He was part of the "Dark Warrior Program", just like me.

Guess he just couldn't handle the pain.

I've learned that you can't be weak in this place. That guy wasn't strong enough to withstand the power that was eco. I have survived longer than he, and I'm only a kid! Ha.....

I've also noticed a change in my attitude over the course of my stay. I only act like a tough guy-well, a better word would be "jerk"- because I've got to stand up for myself, and hold my ground, while those dirty, nasty criminals pick on me. One time, during the lunch period of the day, I got so angry, because three guy were saying I'd never be a fighter, and I was "too short for my age", and I turned into that monster that is always inside of me. I let all that anger and frustration out. Every time I turn into my.....darker self, I release a painful snarl, and it is too late to change back.....

So, when I changed, I really hurt a lot of those men (they had it coming), and I got in big trouble. I was stripped of all of my clothing, and had to stand on a podium so some Krimzon Guards (that's what the soldiers here are called) could throw stones at me. I got bruises all over my chest and back, a black eye, and cuts in so many places.

I still cry almost every night. I feel like a wuss, like a big baby. I'm still the same kid from Sandover Village, only.....more depressed. I actually tried to kill myself, by throwing slop from my lunch tray at some beefy guy. It almost worked. I had chosen the right guy to mess with-he had stolen a Blaster mod (a gun used by many soldiers) from the weaponry, and shot me straight through the chest. But, with some Dark and green eco, I was healed beyond perfection, and put right back into injection cycling.

I never saw that beefy inmate again.....

So, here I was, sitting on my cot, goggles over my eyes, pretending to drive a zoomer. Pathetic, right? Well, you'd be doing it too, if you were in my place.

When I was done fooling around, I went over to the mirror and looked at myself. I had changed (and grown) so much over the past four months. My hair was longer, and I had a small goatee. My jail clothes were more torn and ratty, much less comfortable.

I sighed and went back to my cot. I stared at the wall next to me- I had carved tally marks with a bar from my cot- how many days I had been in the prison. I closed my eyes and laid down.

Here came the tears.....

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_Daxter._

"Dax, stop! We can't be slacking this month!" Nica laughed, as I squirted water from my plastic bottle. It had hit her square in the face, and was dripping down her cheeks. I took a swig of the liquid and put it back into her pack.

"Sorry, baby, but you just looked so _hot_!" I licked the tip of my finger, and tapped my backside, making a sizzling sound. Nica rolled her eyes, cocked her gun so it was leaning against her hip, and sighed.

"We don't have time to fool around. We had too much fun stealing the ammunition from Praxis's armory in the Port, last month. It took us forever!" She bent down to the ground so I could scramble onto her padded shoulder. "We need to raid the armory in the Water Slums before the end of the month! Which, may I remind you, is....." She pretended to count her fingers as she stood up. "Tomorrow!"

I waved her lecture away and rolled my eyes. "Relax, Nica. It's going to be a piece of cake!"

We left the abandoned hut we were hiding in, and went towards a larger hut. We were being pursued by KG's earlier, and needed a place to crash for a while. I squinted from the sudden sunlight as we left our darkened hiding spot. But, soon enough, we were once again hidden in the darkness of this new hut.

Nica and I stood above a trap door. I hopped off her shoulder, and tapped the door with my foot.

"Uh," I scratched my fuzzy ear, confused, "Aren't we going to plummet into water if we open this?"

Nica laughed and scooped me up, placing me back on her shoulder. She opened the door, and I saw no water beneath us. To my surprise, there was a silver, tube-like tunnel-ish slide thing. Before I could ask how the tunnel was invisible to the civilians outside the hut, Nica slid into the hole and I screamed.

It was pitch black, and I could feel wind rushing past my face. There were several twists and turns, then suddenly, we were in what looked like a locker room. Thankfully, no guards were in the room at that time, so we proceeded into a heavily guarded, monstrously large armory building.

In a flash, we got the job done.

I'm not kidding. Seriously. There was a strong light from one of Nica's flash grenades, and in no time, we got everything we needed and boot it.

As we jacked someone's small, blue and gold zoomer, several stunned guards were staggering out of the entryway of the building. Nica floored it, and we sped through the Slums to drop off the stuff at one of the Underground's head quarters.

We parked the ride, and, as usual, Nica told me to wait outside. Just like a freaking crocadog, or something!

"Nica, am I ever going to meet this mysterious commander of the Underground?" I asked before she could go too far.

She turned and smirked. "Only if you are human. My commander wouldn't like it if he found out my 'accomplice' was an ottsel."

"What, is he against animals or something?"

Nica shook her head and walked toward the door, twirling her security card. "Not exactly....." She disappeared behind the door. I sighed and plopped on the ground.

So, yeah, over the course of my stay in the _lovely_ Haven City, I became close friends with good old Nica. Not that she could ever replace my best, best friend, my brother (who I may possibly never see again), Jak. I mean, the chances that Jak is even alive are pretty slim. But, then again, Jak has always cheated death before, could he do it now? Could he survive.....whatever he was going through? I'd hoped he could.....I knew that _I _wasn't there for him right now, but he could imagine I was, right? Jak's always needed me. And I always needed Jak. It's always been that way.

Well, I've been trying really hard not to throw myself off of one of the buildings in this hell the civilians call home. I'm not usually a downer, but hey. You'd be depressed too if you had been thrown out on the streets into a strange world, far away from home, chased by Krimzon Guards, separated from your best friend, who might be dead, turned into an animal, and be forced to hide from just about everything!

I jumped up from my spot on the ground, suddenly frustrated with my life. I started storming out of the alleyway we were parked it, then went down on all fours and burst into a run. I didn't really know where I was going. I just wanted to get away.

A few civilians yelled at me as I ran full speed around them, but I could barely hear them. My eyes were burning all of a sudden, and my teeth were clenched. I scurried around some guards, who seemed to have spotted me, but decided not to follow. I skidded to a halt about ten yards away from the entrance to the dreaded Sector Three (also known as Jak and my "Crash Site", which I'll be calling it from now on.). My eyes burned more, and I rubbed them.

All of a sudden I heard a voice say, "THIS IS A 'NO HOVER' ZONE!", then the sound of a motor. Before I could turn around, my goggles hooked onto a zoomer that just passed over my head. I yelped as the driver's vehicle rose up to the appropriate height, and tried to break myself loose.

The red barriers were coming up quickly. I didn't have a security pass on me, so when the driver who _did _have a pass drove us through the barriers, I wouldn't be able to get back! I had no way of contacting Nica, either!

I frantically pulled at my cap, feeling it loosen. I sighed with relief, but then screamed as I plummeted to the ground, landing on my side. I lay there not moving, no one acknowledging my presence.

Then, it began to rain.

I closed my eyes feeling intense pain, on the inside (but mostly outside), and covered my face. I peeked through my fingers, watching people running for cover as lightning appeared in the sky.

"Daxter!"

I pulled my hands away from my face. I heard my name being called, I was sure of it. But, then again, I could be going nuts. Oh well.....

"Daxter! Dax!" The voice was so close, it felt like it was right next to me

I groaned, and squeezed my eyes shut. "Stop it. Please, just go away."

And then I was picked up. Warm hands felt soft on my back, and I was stuffed into the jacket of the person who found me.

"Leave me alone," I moaned into the person's chest.

"Daxter."

The voice was soft, but I couldn't uncover my face. I felt as though the whole world was just crashing down on me. I let out a sob, and sucked in a shaky breath. I could feel the body moving, and soon we were out of the rain, although I could still hear it pouring and pattering on the ground.

"Let me go. I want to go....." I heard myself say. I don't know if I was even controlling my own actions now.

"Dax, what happened?"

I unwillingly unshielded my sorry face, and looked up at Nica.

"I can't....." My voice rasped, "I can't breathe!" I started hyperventilating, gasping and choking, trying to suck in some air. I thrashed around in Nica's arms, and she held me tightly until my fit was over.

"I'm such an idiot, Nica." I groaned.

"What makes you say that?" Nica sat down under the cover of one of the buildings, letting me sit on the ground next to her.

"I have a home right now. I have a friend. I've got food and water and shelter and things to do and places to go. But, Jak doesn't have any of that." My voice cracked.

"Oh, you were thinking of your best bud." She gave me a sympathetic smile. "He was like a brother to you, right?"

We didn't really talk about Jak all that much. Nica knew it upset me. My unusual behavior since I got here made me so confused about everything. I was such a happy person, having the time of my life with Jak and the girls and Big Green. But, all that was gone now.

And that's what I told Nica.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Wrinkles had a heart attack on our way over here." I smiled, feeling a bit more like myself. "I miss the old man. Jak and I used to pull the wildest pranks on him. One time, we poured yakow milk in the orb of an old staff he carried around. He thought it was a sign from the Precursors that the world was going to end. Then, it started to stink like rotten something or other, and he realized what happened." Nica and I laughed.

The rain was slowing to a stop, and clouds remained.

"You have a lot a good memories to think about." Nica smiled. I nodded in agreement.

"So, I guess I should avoid the hovering zoomers, shouldn't I?" I asked.

Nica laughed. She stood up, pulling me up by the hand. I climbed onto her shoulder, and sat down. "Let's go home." I said.

We jacked a zoomer, and sped out of the area. Nica was silent for a while. Then,

"We should go find Jak."

My eyes widened. "I've_ been_ looking for Jak. I obviously haven't been thorough, but I think I would've seen him by now....." My voice trailed off.

"This is a huge city, Dax. He could be anywhere. I have a feeling he hasn't.....passed on." She said, deep in thought.

"I honestly think I would've seen him by now, really." I argued, trying not to think about it too much. "It's been six months." Cool wind rustled my fur, making me shiver.

"But, this could be your big chance to find him!" She said excitedly. "We have all the weapons we need in case he's in any danger, and I have all the security passes! This could be a whole adventure!" She grinned.

"Like I need another one of those....." I muttered to myself. Then, I sighed. "Alright. Let's do this."

"Yes!" The zoomer picked up speed, and I smiled at the fact of reuniting with my best friend again.

JDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJD

_Jak._

I sat up, gasping for breath.

I.....had a _dream_. What was that all about? The last dream I actually remembered was from the night before the Rift Gate incident. This dream that I had just woken up from was exactly like that, yet different. Flashes of images and voices rang through my head.

.........._Jak felt the raised bump beneath the cloth. "Oh....." He whispered. His eyes became glazed over. "I can't believe.....I mean, how could I miss this? I'm so sorry....."_...........

........._Daxter looked off into the distance, "God, I miss the pants."_........

........._A familiar girl hugged the soldier. Confusion and jealousy swept through Jak_......

........._"I've _been_ looking for Jak," Daxter said_..........

........._"This is your big chance to find him!" A girl's voice sounded, "This could be a whole adventure!" _.........

........._**I'll never forget who I am,**__ Jak promised himself_, _**No matter what happens to me**__._......

So, there were some new things, and some old things. The old memory that woke me up repeated in my head as I gasped for breath; I promised Darla I'd never forget who I was.

I felt like I had forgotten. I'd let her down. I'd let myself down.

I swung my legs around so I'd sit up straight. I rubbed my eyes, then put my face in my hands.

The new things were strange to me. Daxter missing wearing pants? Weird. And he said something else. He was looking for me. Daxter was here? In this city the prison was in? How far away was he? I knew this had to be true. The monster from the Rift Gate had been in my dream, so why couldn't Daxter? And that girl's voice. Hopefully she was an ally to him. I didn't want him to ever be alone. I feared for his little life.

The other girl, though. The one that was held by a soldier. Why was I so upset and confused about it? I remembered the emotions rushing through me, and they had felt so real. I'd be lucky if I'd see any of this in real life.

But, why should I even care? I'd been in here for so long, dreams were the only thing I had left.

But, then again, I always had hope.

JDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJDJD

Sorry that took so long. I've been busy the past few months, but now I'm back, and ready to write.....and play Jak and Daxter IV: The Lost Frontier! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll update soon.

JaknDaxfreak811


	11. Chapter 11: Daxter: Getting Closer

**(A/N) Sorry for the wait! I've had an epic year...**

**Well things are about to pick up from here! I want to be able to get the story going from Jak II so let's get to it!**

**Without further adu...**

**_Daxter_**

"OKAY, so we took care of the sewers and checked out some soup kitchens to see if he'd be living homeless...No luck in those places..." Nica said solemnly, scratching one of her long ears. It was night, and we were speeding on a zoomer through The Port, trying to think of _safe_ places to look for Jak. Obviously, he hadn't been found yet. We were even looking for...remains...just in case he hadn't made it...

UGH. This was getting on my nerves. It had finally been one year since we'd come through the Rift Gate. One whole year of being separated from my family and having no clue of _WHERE THE HELL_ everyone was. I was okay though. I mean, I've adjusted. Nica and I go on crazy missions for the Underground and it's crazy commander, whoever he is, all the time. I'd say we get assigned a new one once a week!

So, take that and add our desperate search for my pal together, and you get a big bowl of HOOPLA.

"Why don't we go out to Hip Hog Haven Saloon and get a couple of drinks?" I asked Nica, putting my feet up on the dashboard in our two-seated zoomer. "...On you of course, since I'm broke." I grinned at my own joke.

She rolled her blue eyes at me, laughed, and tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear. "We do need a night out...alright, why not?" She made a u-turn and floored it. We headed toward the bright lights that protruded from our favorite bar in Haven City.

As we sat in a booth and drank our Big Bang's, Nica said, "I'm sure we'll have better luck tomorrow, Daxter."

I tugged at my ear to avoid eye contact with her. I did that every time I was feeling down because of Jak. It's probably a nervous tick or something... "You've said that every day for six months."

Nica sighed. "I know, we _have_ been having better luck lately. We've ruled out so many places!" She tried to show enthusiasm, but I knew her so well. I saw through her act. I didn't look at her, and tossed back my drink, trying to enjoy the cool sensation in the back of my throat.

She reached across the table and flicked my nose. "Come on, buddy. We're going to find him. I promise."

I smirked. "Jak would like you." I said, nodding. "You're like his girlfriend, Darla." _WOW...I haven't said that name in so long..._ I thought to myself.

"I hope he will. I bet we can all be great friends and try to escape this hell hole we call home." Nica lay her head down on the table.

I scrambled onto the wooden platform. "Do you need me to drive us back to home, sweet cheeks?"

Nica snorted. "YEAH. RIGHT."

**_Next morning..._**

I woke up the next morning and I was _starving_.

It was about eleven in the morning, and Nica was still sleeping. I silently hopped out of my little hammock next to her bunk, and ran up the stairs to the outside world to go steal...I mean borrow...some food.

I came out from an alley way in the Slums and saw the fruit cart in front of an antique shop. I scampered across the ground towards the cart, and I could feel my tongue practically flapping in the wind as I ran.

And out of no where, a hovering zoomer in a NO HOVERING ZONE clipped me as it passed.

I yelped in pain and my cap hooked onto the tail of the zoomer. _Aw, HELL no! Not again!_ I repeated in my head as I dragged across the ground screaming.

Of course the engine was super loud and I couldn't be heard. Of course the driver of this god forsaken zoomer would go_ BACK_ into the regular zoomer area. And of _COURSE_ the zoomer would once again be headed towards those red barriers in which I'd need a security pass to get through that I _DIDN'T_ have!

I clawed at my cap as the red barriers came closer and closer. We were headed to the Crash Site...I did NOT want to go back there! Especially without a FRIGGIN pass that could bring me BACK!

"Nooooo!" I yelled, but my voice was drowned out by the motor of the zoomer.

And then I was no longer in the Slums. And my cap came loose. And I fell. And I hurt my butt. And I kept turning around trying to figure out where to go. And I was lost.

**_Underground Headquarters _**

The ex-Krimzon Guard, and commander of the Underground, stared down at the file with eyes wide open. He sighed shakily and slammed his fists onto the table.

A thirteen year old boy put a hand on the commander's shoulder cautiously. "Apparently she admitted to stealing weapons from the armory in The Port. The KG's shot her where she stood."

The commander opened his tattooed eyes and looked at the picture of his comrade. The word "deceased" in capital red letters was stamped right over her name.

"Why would she...do you think that maybe..." The young operative was speechless.

"I don't know, kid." The ex-KG placed the file gently down on a pile of armor.

"She committed suicide!" The boy croaked, slamming his hands against the wall.

The commander turned toward the young man. "Many of our friends do. And others get killed in the field. This stuff happens all the time. We just need to prepare more for it."

The boy sobbed. The ex-KG put a hand on his shoulder this time.

"Nica will be missed. She was one of our top operatives...and a very good friend to all...We're just going to have to find a replacement eventually. We'll find someone, kid." He went back over to his table and sat. He picked up Nica's file and looked at it. He took out a communicator and dialed a number.

"Get me the Shadow. We lost one of our best."

**_Six months later..._**

I stood on the bar, grabbing more men's attention, as well as the hot bartender chick I saw every time I went to this bar.

"So there I was...fighting with fifteen...I mean FIFTY of the nastiest lurkers I ever saw! We fought hard with a_ jump!_..." I jumped into the air, "...A _kick!_" I kicked, "...And a...WHOA!" And I fell. The guys were all laughing at me, and they got up and left.

"Wait! Come back! I've got more!" I tried to find more action in my story. "After I...uh...fell down to...confuse the lurkers...I then..." I paused and my head hung in shame. "Aww..."

"Speak up, son! My ears aren't what they used to be. I want to hear how you knocked out ten guards in a single blow!"

I jumped and turn to my left. An old man, his face very familiar, was smiling at me. His beard was really white, and he was tiny as hell...although I shouldn't be talking.

"I can? Oh yeah...Oh _yeah_!" I grinned continued, "Those guys can't stand a chance against Orange Lightning!"

The old man hobbled over to me. "I need someone to work for me. A bug exterminator...I need someone with strength..." I nodded bravely, "Resourcefulness..." I agreed that I had that quality, "Bravery." I replied with a "Yup! Got it!", "...And someone who is willing to face death!"

I jumped. "WHAT? Okay, move it along, old man! Forget it buddy! I know nothing about exterminating bugs, and I HATE bugs!" I paused, shuddering. "Although...I need a place to stay...I could always fake it..." I muttered.

"Great! You have the job!" The old man stuck out his hand for me to shake it. "I'm Ozmo! Welcome aboard." We shook hands. "My shop is right down the street. Just swing by when you're done here and I'll put you to work!"

After the old guy left, I grabbed a drink and sprinted down the street to the icky anti-bug shop. A man ran out of the shop yelling at the top of his lungs. Something like, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE CRAZY! I QUIT!" _Sheesh_, I wondered, _What's got his panties in a bunch?_

I stepped into a darkish room, with loads of boxes and pictures of bugs. He place was a mess!

"Wow...looks like the bugs won..." I said aloud.

"What was that?"

I jumped and yelled turning around to see Ozmo on top of a stack of boxes. "Nothing!" I faced the room. "Alright! Everything with more than two legs start running! The Daxtinator is coming! Hand over the weapons, man! I'm going to hose down every crawler that moves!"

Ozmo chuckled and climbed down from the stack. "Hold on, young hero! You need basic training." Ozmo handed me an electric flyswatter. I waved it in front of my face, memorized by the blue electricity surging through the weapon. "You can start by going to the Westside Hotel down the street. That place needs to be cleaned up."

I nodded and ran out of the messy exterminator shop and onto the street. It was time to get started on _another_ new job, in _another _new place, and begin _another_ new life for myself.

**(A/N) That last section with Ozmo and the bar scene is all from the PSP game, Daxter, if you didn't already know. I'll update soon!**

**JHaywire**


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